Kibiri shines in Wakiso

The 2000 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) released February 5, 2001 showed Kibiri Church of Uganda Primary School as one of the best schools in the newly created Wakiso district. Though the school this time did not get any best student and it was not recognised, the performance was good. The 53-year-old mixed day and boarding school has been enjoying good results in national exams for the last few years. This school, located on Entebbe road has not registered failures for a long time. As a government aided school, Kibiri was affected by the introduction of the Universal Primary Education (UPE). The number of pupils has been increasing since 1997 when UPE was introduced. However, this did not affect academic performance. "Our pupils have been performing well because we have built a team of hardworking teachers who are committed to their work. "The teachers do not cut lessons, they have interest in the school and their pupils," says Mr. Francis Edward Kayanja the headteacher. Of the 150 candidates who sat the 2000 PLE, 143 passed in division l, 7 in division 2. There were no failures. "We registered an improvement in the performance compared to 1999 when 121 of 132 candidates passed in division 1, 10 in division 2 and none in other divisions or failures," Kayanja adds. Having 143 candidate passing in division 1 did not shock the headteacher or the staff. The school has always been getting big numbers in division 1 and most of its pupils have gone to schools like Mount St. Mary's Namagunga Girls' School, St. Mary's College Kisubi and Kibuli Secondary School. Kayanja says that he is not surprised by his pupils' performance because they work very hard together with the staff. He adds that the school has effective teaching and they always identify their pupil's weakness. "The weak ones are assisted with remedial teaching. This is where the pupils are given special lessons to help them catch up with the rest of the pupils," Kayanja says. He explains that apart from academics, the staff attends to pupils' individual problems. This holistic approach certainly has had an impact on academic performance. In addition to that, the pupils are encouraged to set specific academic goals. This leads to a competitive spirit. "Each pupil here has his or her own target and they always want to fulfil it, that is why competition is very high," Kayanja says. The headteacher commended the parents who he says are cooperative making his job and that of the teachers easier. Today the school which boasts of 864 pupils and 24 teachers does not only concentrate on education but also on co-curricular activities. This has seen the school being the best performing school in music in the district. Participation in the annual Uganda National Music, Dance and Drama festivals has made Kibiri a winner for three years since 1998. Kayanja says that co-curricular activities have their own time and even the candidates have to participate because it is part of the school curriculum. This is also in line with the Ministry of Education requirement of making co-curricular activities a compulsory part of the curriculum. In the 2000 music competition, Kibiri came second out of the 46 schools that participated. When you enter the headteacher's office, you are struck by the numerous trophies representing the school's excellence in sports and music. Kibiri Church of Uganda Primary School was started in 1957 by the Church of Uganda as a day school. In 1982, parents requested the church to turn it into a boarding school. Their request was granted. ends