Your reporter gave a blurred vision of Namasagali College

A RESPONSE to Robert Kanusu’s article in Education Vision of Monday, October 22, 2001. Just as Mr Kanusu’s piece took its time to appear after his fieldwork of Friday, October 5, so I have taken my time in acknowledging it. It needed digestion. It is unfortunate that the article appeared two days after the college’s Parents Day on October 20. Senior Education Officer Aloysius Chebet, on behalf of the Commissioner for Secondary Education publicly announced the grant-aiding of Namasagali. That was the culmination of a process begun with an application made in September 2000. As well as revealing the main good news, Parents Day was a generally happy and colourful ceremony. The Press ignored the event. To be charitable, Mr Kanusu might be forgiven for writing so damagingly if he had acted in good faith in a straight forward manner. However, such benefit of the doubt would be unwise. Moreover, he was aided and abetted by the Kamuli District Information Officer, David Kamali, a former scholarship student returning to his alma mater. Mr Kamali’s role has been looked at unfavourably by several members of Namasagali Old Students Association (NOSA.) Mr Kanusu has an interesting style of dramatic writing, reminiscent of the imperial literature of Rider Haggard, such as King Solomon’s Mines. It is surprising that he and his henchman were not devoured by lions as they skulked about in the grass. Touches of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness too? There are two pieces of internal evidence, which reveal an illegal aspect of the visitors’ activities. What were two strange men doing in the girls’ dormitories, irrespective of some long grass to be decried? It is clear that the photographer had sneaked far into the security fenced compound area of the girls. This reveals an invasion of privacy and perhaps worse. This was without the authority of the school management. The intrepid expedition to reach Namasagali was further embellished by the adventure to reach the lost world of the Swimming Pool. When a visitor reaches the Administration Block, having entered through the main gate, it is impossible not to see the Pool across the playing fields at a glance, even if some savannah had redeveloped. The difficult access was because the couple must he sneaked into the school compound via a panya route through the derelict Township Waterworks. That way an intruder has to negotiate the fences and hedges of school farm paddocks, which are there for security. That the College is suffering difficult times cannot be denied. That realisation puts the Kanusu sensational approach to reporting in a bad light. The Pool has fallen victim to the present financial constraints now being combated. Tall grass remaining soon after the beginning of term after a month’s limited habitation is similarly explicable. Meanwhile work has been done to improve the grassy problems, but grass does grow. The linked decline in student population and reduced fees-based income has developed over several years. Basic explanations include the loss of much of the Kampala market, developed in the 1980s with the recent mushrooming of attractive new schools there. The Busoga catchment area has yielded relatively few students, even though Busoga tax payers receive a substantial fees discount. Supportive as they try to be, the District Administrations of Busoga are strapped for cash from taxes to bail out the school. In early days the original Busoga Administration had managed bursaries for many Namasagali students. Those early days saw a large congregation of Basoga at Namasagali to the advantage of development in Busoga and beyond. Co-curricular activities do continue, but are restricted by limited income. “Abolished” is the wrong word to use. The boating activities fell victim to the dangers created by the two years of flooding of the River Nile related to the El Nino effect and the sudd blockage of Lake Kyoga to the north. Note that Namasagali is on the river not the lake. As for the so-called small-scale drama, that is belied by the successful 24th Annual Production at the National Theatre. Or perhaps that is only a small theatre? Reference to indebtedness being caused by “loans acquired for the purpose of maintaining of the office in Kampala, special meals and in acquiring music costumes (sic) from abroad, since the early 70s,” is rather pathetic. An inexpensive office, what special meals, and what imported costumes? Incidentally the “chicken-house” Administration Block has had that quaint image throughout the school’s existence, glorious or otherwise. It is unfortunate that the pair had been on the loose for some time before they were encountered near the “chicken house” and a message was then sent to the headmaster that there were pressmen to see him. When I received the message I was involved with a meeting of staff and students on the adjacent Namasagali University Campus. After that I met the men and took them on a riverside tour and to my house. We did encounter a small group of students washing their clothes by the Nile, which is against the rules except when on occasion the piped water supply is off. Any odd reaction from those students was likely because they did not like the look of the visitors as much as they realised the headmaster had spotted them. I have been headmaster of Namasagali College since mid-December 2000, having been on the teaching staff since 1975. I know that the college has challenging problems to overcome. With grant-aiding, by the way not a government take over, I look forward to a renaissance. I did not attribute the present condition to my predecessor. The glory referred to was due to the years of dedicated service of Rev. Father D. Grimes. What is he to be blamed for? If a “worse” is now seen it is in temporary contrast to the “better” he created for so long. Now I do appeal to all forms of support, not least financial, from NOSA and friends of Namasagali College, students, parents and staff, the local community This is an SOS message, one to safeguard the future. Namasagali is not the Titanic. Strive Regardless! S.C. Downie M.A, Dip Ed., Headmaster, Namasagali College.