Sacred Heart SS remains a beacon of hope in the north

Some of the students at Sacred Heart SS live in camps. They have no home to go to during the holidays. Their only hope is academic excellence. Education Vision’s Caroline Lamwaka visited the school and reports As one enters the school through the southern gate, an atmosphere of serenity pervades the compound. This atmosphere is linked to the current general calm in Gulu district. It does not betray the hardships that students of Sacred Heart Senior secondary school have gone through. Over the years, students have suffered abductions in the wake of insecurity. Sacred Heart is a top girls’ secondary school in Gulu district. Certainly, it is one of the best in northern Uganda. Located three miles west of Gulu, the school still boasts of intact facilities. Academic performance has also generally improved. The teachers’ quarters to the left, and right, a parking yard and a staff room. The statue of the “Sacred Heart of Jesus” stands prominently in the school square. It has been dubbed the “Holy Garden.” There are well arraigned school blocks for S1-S4. S5 and S6 Arts building is located in a corner. The science students study from a nearby laboratory In the 2000 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE), out of 128 candidates, 50.8% passed in Division one. 43% in Division two and 6.3% in Division three. ‘A’ level performance is also relatively good. In 2000, three Arts candidates were admitted to Makerere University on government sponsorship. Of the 44 students who sat for the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE), 10 got four principle passes. 11 obtained three principle passes and nine got two principle passes. Sacred Heart was founded in 1934. It was the first girls’ school in Northern Uganda. It started as a ‘normal’ school, the word then used for primary schools. It was upgraded to a junior school in 1951 and to a senior secondary school in 1958. In 1975, the school attained ‘A’ level status in 1975, with sciences. ‘A’ level Arts were introduced in 1981. Founded by the Comboni missionaries, Sacred Heart aimed at educating and preparing girls for life. This was a time when no opportunities were being given to girls, says Sister Mary Carla Ajio. Ajio has been the headteacher since 1982. “We want to excel in life, not just in the academics. We want an all round education of the girl child. We stress success in the academic, the importance of being disciplined and responsibility among the girls. “Also, that they should be God fearing. That is why we follow religious programmes in the school. With discipline, we talk of moral behaviour. They also learn to live with each other amicably,” Ajio says. She says the standard of the school dropped from 1986 to around 1993. In 1973-74, expatriates left, so there was a problem in staffing. It was difficult to find replacement immediately. After the 1979 war, the population of the students reduced, because many people, including some teachers. From 1986-1989, the population of the students and intake went down because of insecurity. Many students transferred to other schools in safe areas. Between 1990 and the beginning of 1991, the number of students rose again, but dropped drastically after the abduction of July 9,1989. In the first abduction, which took place in early 1987 seven students were abducted by the Holy Spirit rebels of Joseph Kony. They were released after one week. It was holiday time. Some students could not go home because they were cut off. Mrs. Helen Ongodia observes: “It disorganised the school because there was a lot of worries. We didn’t know what could have happened to them. It was the first time students were being abducted from the school environment in Gulu. During that period, Sacred Heart became a day school for two terms in the first and second term of 1987.” Ongodia is the deputy headteacher. The school was amalgamated with other schools and transferred to Gulu town. Most of the lessons were undertaken at the clinical officers’ school in Gulu Hospital and the Ministry of Works in Gulu town. Some students did not have anywhere to stay in town. Teachers were also moving from Sacred Heart to to conduct lessons in town, three miles away. The second abduction was in April 1988. Eighty eight students were picked from the dormitories very early in the morning as they were rising up from bed. They were released the same day, but late in the night. The third abduction was July 9, 1991. Forty three students were abducted. They were mostly from S4 and ‘A’ level. The rebels broke into their dormitories at around 3:00 am. Two S4s were killed in the bush. The rest returned after escaping at different times. After the third abduction, a many parents collected their children and took them to other schools. Some students who had other alternatives left on their own because they were too afraid. More than 100 of the 500 students left the school. Today, the population of the school stands at 700 students. “It has been difficult to cope because of insecurity around us. We did not feel secure enough to stay in the school. We expected attacks and gunshots any time, especially at night. Students felt very insecure,” says Ongodia. According to Ongodia, some left because of the insecurity. “Graduate teachers are particularly very difficult to replace, particularly in the science subjects. Many graduates are not attracted to upcountry schools. So graduate science teachers are few,” Ongodia says. The schools gets little financial support from the parents. Ongodia attributes this to the war that left many people poor. In terms of academics, children study under the threat of abductions. “There is fear of attack so there are no night preps,” Ongodia says. “Preps are done only during the day. At night, they have to stay behind locked doors. “There is the tension and fear among the students and teachers. We have to bring security within the compound. That also has its side effects,” she adds. Ongodia says poverty, war and displacements have impacted negatively on the school. Many students find it difficult to meet the cost of education. The number of orphans is also high. About one third of the students. The girls study whenever the opportunity arises. They realise their future is at stake. “If you drop out of school, where do you go? Some of them have no homes. They are in camps,” Ongodia observes. Ongodia says, there is a growing demand for boarding schools. “That demand is higher for girls and it is no wonder that our population is high. We are beyond capacity,” she says. Sacred Heart Girls SS remains very popular in Northern Uganda. The girls know they have to study hard to secure their future. Inspite of the insecurity and abductions, the school continues to shine.