Parents pull Boroboro out of its academic dumps
Aug 24, 2011
TEACHERS listen to the headmaster. The issue at hand is the students’ discipline and academics. The meeting is part of improving communication channels between the administration and the students and how to restore the school’s lost glory.
By Frederick Womakuyu
TEACHERS listen to the headmaster. The issue at hand is the students’ discipline and academics. The meeting is part of improving communication channels between the administration and the students and how to restore the school’s lost glory.
This is what marks a typical day at Dr. Obote College Boroboro.
A wall-fence has been erected around the school to control the students’ movement. The classrooms, dormitories and laboratories are wearing a fresh coat of paint.
This is an example of parents pulling a school out of the dumps. They have restocked the library and have connected the school to the Internet.
And now the school is singing a different song. It registered 32 out of 112 students in Division One in O’level in 2010 compared to less than 20 students in previous years. The school also sent three students to university this year compared to one in previous years.
The deputy headmaster, Byatt Ocaet, says the school is recovering from the academic slump it had sunk to.
The school, which sits on 30 acres of land in Adeko Kwo sub-county, Lira district, was once revered. “It was a first choice school due to its excellent performance,†he explains.
The foundation
Founded in 1927 by the Church Missionary Society, the school was called Elementary Vernacular School. It had classes from Primary One to Primary Four and offered religious instructions to Christians.
Samson Kobe (RIP), the then headmaster added Primary Five and Primary Six and the school was called Boroboro Central School. But the two schools were run differently.
In 1939, Boroboro Central School and Elementary Vernacular School were joined to form Boroboro Primary School, which ran classes from Primary one to Primary six.
In 1946, Boroboro gave birth to Lira Junior Secondary School, a mixed school. However, in 1958, the church split the school. The boys went to Lira Junior Secondary and the girls to St. Catherine Girls’ S.S.
However, Lira Junior was dissolved in 1963 leading to the formation of Boroboro Secondary School.
According to Ocaet, when Dr. Milton Obote, the then President of Uganda visited the nearby Canon Lawrence Teachers College in 1964, the administration of Boroboro Secondary School asked him if they could name their school after him and he accepted the offer.
Prominent old students include former President of Uganda Dr. Milton Obote, Forum for Democratic Change President Dr. Kizza Besigye, Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga and her deputy Jacob Oulanyah.
The school excelled in both sports and academics. It was often amongst the top 10 schools and won several sports competitions. No wonder, the administration block is dotted with trophies got from football, volleyball, chess, tennis to netball.
According to the Ministry of Education, in 1968, Dr. Obote College Boroboro was the best school in Uganda at O’ level with all 45 students scoring first grade.
In 1970, the school sent over 34 of its 43 students to university.
Between 1986 and 1990, the school annually sent an average of one student to university on Government sponsorship and registered an average of about three students in first grade at Form Four annually.
The turmoil
According to Ocaet, the problems of the school began after the late Gen. Idi Amin, the former president overthrew Obote in 1971. “He did not want anything to do with Obote. He even changed the name of the school to Boroboro.†he explains.
Between 1971 and 1980, Uganda also suffered a civil war fought by Ugandan exiles in Tanzania. Most of the people, especially the elite in northern Uganda, were targeted because they were thought to support Obote. Students fled from the school and the infrastructure was destroyed.
The school’s performance had declined from over 90% of the students passing in first grade at O’level to less than 40%, according to the school archives. Less than 30% of students went to university.
Between 1986 and 2006, the school was a victim of many insurgents from the Alice Lakwena Holy Spirit Movement to the Lord’s Resistance Army.
The school bursar, Enang Ogwang, explains that students, teachers and parents were traumatised. “The rebels often raided the school and kidnapped teachers and students. The remaining teachers fled from the school,†Ogwang explains.
He adds that despite the turmoil, the school used to register an average of 10 first grades at O’level.
Ogwang says textbooks were taken and library furniture was looted. The number of teachers reduced from more than 40 to below 20 and students to 600.
Recovery
The school’s new dawn started in 2001 when Luke Ojungulu was appointed headteacher. Paul Atto, the deputy head teacher in charge of academics, says: “He found the school without a fence. Students moved in and out as they chose. He fenced the school and this has improved discipline.†.
The headmaster also increased the number of teachers from 27 to 47. He also bought more textbooks, laboratory equipment and increased the teachers’ allowances.
But the problems remain
The school depends on tuition fees to run, which is not enough to finance the rehabilitation of its buildings, restock the library fully and pay the teachers at the same time.
Most of its structures are still dilapidated, the teachers’ houses are insufficient and dilapidated. They need about sh5b for repairs.
The school is among secondary schools to be rehabilitated with a loan from African Development Bank.
TEACHERS listen to the headmaster. The issue at hand is the students’ discipline and academics. The meeting is part of improving communication channels between the administration and the students and how to restore the school’s lost glory.
This is what marks a typical day at Dr. Obote College Boroboro.
A wall-fence has been erected around the school to control the students’ movement. The classrooms, dormitories and laboratories are wearing a fresh coat of paint.
This is an example of parents pulling a school out of the dumps. They have restocked the library and have connected the school to the Internet.
And now the school is singing a different song. It registered 32 out of 112 students in Division One in O’level in 2010 compared to less than 20 students in previous years. The school also sent three students to university this year compared to one in previous years.
The deputy headmaster, Byatt Ocaet, says the school is recovering from the academic slump it had sunk to.
The school, which sits on 30 acres of land in Adeko Kwo sub-county, Lira district, was once revered. “It was a first choice school due to its excellent performance,†he explains.
The foundation
Founded in 1927 by the Church Missionary Society, the school was called Elementary Vernacular School. It had classes from Primary One to Primary Four and offered religious instructions to Christians.
Samson Kobe (RIP), the then headmaster added Primary Five and Primary Six and the school was called Boroboro Central School. But the two schools were run differently.
In 1939, Boroboro Central School and Elementary Vernacular School were joined to form Boroboro Primary School, which ran classes from Primary one to Primary six.
In 1946, Boroboro gave birth to Lira Junior Secondary School, a mixed school. However, in 1958, the church split the school. The boys went to Lira Junior Secondary and the girls to St. Catherine Girls’ S.S.
However, Lira Junior was dissolved in 1963 leading to the formation of Boroboro Secondary School.
According to Ocaet, when Dr. Milton Obote, the then President of Uganda visited the nearby Canon Lawrence Teachers College in 1964, the administration of Boroboro Secondary School asked him if they could name their school after him and he accepted the offer.
Prominent old students include former President of Uganda Dr. Milton Obote, Forum for Democratic Change President Dr. Kizza Besigye, Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga and her deputy Jacob Oulanyah.
The school excelled in both sports and academics. It was often amongst the top 10 schools and won several sports competitions. No wonder, the administration block is dotted with trophies got from football, volleyball, chess, tennis to netball.
According to the Ministry of Education, in 1968, Dr. Obote College Boroboro was the best school in Uganda at O’ level with all 45 students scoring first grade.
In 1970, the school sent over 34 of its 43 students to university.
Between 1986 and 1990, the school annually sent an average of one student to university on Government sponsorship and registered an average of about three students in first grade at Form Four annually.
The turmoil
According to Ocaet, the problems of the school began after the late Gen. Idi Amin, the former president overthrew Obote in 1971. “He did not want anything to do with Obote. He even changed the name of the school to Boroboro.†he explains.
Between 1971 and 1980, Uganda also suffered a civil war fought by Ugandan exiles in Tanzania. Most of the people, especially the elite in northern Uganda, were targeted because they were thought to support Obote. Students fled from the school and the infrastructure was destroyed.
The school’s performance had declined from over 90% of the students passing in first grade at O’level to less than 40%, according to the school archives. Less than 30% of students went to university.
Between 1986 and 2006, the school was a victim of many insurgents from the Alice Lakwena Holy Spirit Movement to the Lord’s Resistance Army.
The school bursar, Enang Ogwang, explains that students, teachers and parents were traumatised. “The rebels often raided the school and kidnapped teachers and students. The remaining teachers fled from the school,†Ogwang explains.
He adds that despite the turmoil, the school used to register an average of 10 first grades at O’level.
Ogwang says textbooks were taken and library furniture was looted. The number of teachers reduced from more than 40 to below 20 and students to 600.
Recovery
The school’s new dawn started in 2001 when Luke Ojungulu was appointed headteacher. Paul Atto, the deputy head teacher in charge of academics, says: “He found the school without a fence. Students moved in and out as they chose. He fenced the school and this has improved discipline.†.
The headmaster also increased the number of teachers from 27 to 47. He also bought more textbooks, laboratory equipment and increased the teachers’ allowances.
But the problems remain
The school depends on tuition fees to run, which is not enough to finance the rehabilitation of its buildings, restock the library fully and pay the teachers at the same time.
Most of its structures are still dilapidated, the teachers’ houses are insufficient and dilapidated. They need about sh5b for repairs.
The school is among secondary schools to be rehabilitated with a loan from African Development Bank.