Vienna College to embrace international curriculum
VIENNA College Namugongo that opened doors to its pioneer students in January 2000 has not had a smooth ride in its quest to become one of Uganda’s leading educational institutions.
By Alex Balimwikungu
VIENNA College Namugongo that opened doors to its pioneer students in January 2000 has not had a smooth ride in its quest to become one of Uganda’s leading educational institutions.
The multi-cultural school has had three headteachers in its five years of existence, changed management and ownership and suffered a devastating strike two months ago.
However, the new board of directors, appointed in April, is bent on re-establishing Vienna at the forefront of Ugandan education.
The board’s first step was the appointment of a new headteacher, English-born Peter Morris, who took office on September 1.
Having been in the education system for long, Morris believes he has the experience to push Vienna to international fame through modern and well-balanced education.
He began his teaching career as a schoolmaster in Shrewsbury School, UK. He then taught in the state system before returning to Shrewsbury as a residential housemaster before becoming senior tutor in his final year.
Morris has headed several schools in various parts of the world including Nigeria, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates and Thailand. He was also an educational consultant in India and Singapore.
He is a strong advocate of the open trust system where trust is bestowed upon students to stay within expected codes of a civilised society.
“When students break the trust, we discipline them, not through corporal punishment but withdrawal of privileges, discussion with parents and if necessary, suspension from school. The effect is more meaningful,â€Morris says.
To him, corporal punishment is a form of bullying and is unacceptable.
“These are young adults. We have an awesome responsibility to inculcate into them virtues of decency, honesty, truth, loyalty, reliability as well as maximising their academic, spiritual, moral and physical potential.â€
Morris says it’s unfortunate that Uganda has been invaded by the McDonald’s and video culture, which has eroded society’s values. He hails East Africa for its strong family bond and religious framework which greatly mold students’ behaviour.
“I come from a background where the family is splintering and religion plays a minor role in community life. I hope Uganda will stem undesirable traits that tend to accompany technological growth,†he says.
One of Morris’ biggest tasks is to collate two different education systems. The school has been offering the Uganda National Examinations Board’s (UNEB) curriculum of up to 20 Arts and Science subjects at O and A-Level.
He plans to introduce an international curriculum based on the Cambridge University International Examinations.
“We are looking at offering two educational strands, (UNEB and Cambridge), beyond Senior One and Two to gives students greater choice. The international curriculum is a passport to the most competitive degree courses in reputable universities in the world. As Uganda evolves, there is need to look at the kind of students we produce rather than examination results,†he says.
Morris says the UNEB syllabus relies on memorisation such that students are taught to learn but not necessarily think! In contrast, he says, Cambridge programmes encourage intellectual curiosity, research and critical thinking.
“We need to educate students for the technological age of tomorrow. Time will come when students will carry no books but lap top computers for use in wireless classrooms and laboratories,†he says.
The school charges $450 (sh837,000) per student per term. Asked whether the money isn’t so high, Morris says,
“No, students get more value for money. We are cheap compared to other international schools. We create career opportunities for our students worth every dollar.â€
The father of four might be in the twilight of his career, but would like to embrace retirement at Vienna College.
“There is a big job to be done here and the challenges are not small, but the people I work with and the students make it worthwhile. If only there were more hours in the day…. and electricity,†he says.
VIENNA College Namugongo that opened doors to its pioneer students in January 2000 has not had a smooth ride in its quest to become one of Uganda’s leading educational institutions.
The multi-cultural school has had three headteachers in its five years of existence, changed management and ownership and suffered a devastating strike two months ago.
However, the new board of directors, appointed in April, is bent on re-establishing Vienna at the forefront of Ugandan education.
The board’s first step was the appointment of a new headteacher, English-born Peter Morris, who took office on September 1.
Having been in the education system for long, Morris believes he has the experience to push Vienna to international fame through modern and well-balanced education.
He began his teaching career as a schoolmaster in Shrewsbury School, UK. He then taught in the state system before returning to Shrewsbury as a residential housemaster before becoming senior tutor in his final year.
Morris has headed several schools in various parts of the world including Nigeria, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates and Thailand. He was also an educational consultant in India and Singapore.
He is a strong advocate of the open trust system where trust is bestowed upon students to stay within expected codes of a civilised society.
“When students break the trust, we discipline them, not through corporal punishment but withdrawal of privileges, discussion with parents and if necessary, suspension from school. The effect is more meaningful,â€Morris says.
To him, corporal punishment is a form of bullying and is unacceptable.
“These are young adults. We have an awesome responsibility to inculcate into them virtues of decency, honesty, truth, loyalty, reliability as well as maximising their academic, spiritual, moral and physical potential.â€
Morris says it’s unfortunate that Uganda has been invaded by the McDonald’s and video culture, which has eroded society’s values. He hails East Africa for its strong family bond and religious framework which greatly mold students’ behaviour.
“I come from a background where the family is splintering and religion plays a minor role in community life. I hope Uganda will stem undesirable traits that tend to accompany technological growth,†he says.
One of Morris’ biggest tasks is to collate two different education systems. The school has been offering the Uganda National Examinations Board’s (UNEB) curriculum of up to 20 Arts and Science subjects at O and A-Level.
He plans to introduce an international curriculum based on the Cambridge University International Examinations.
“We are looking at offering two educational strands, (UNEB and Cambridge), beyond Senior One and Two to gives students greater choice. The international curriculum is a passport to the most competitive degree courses in reputable universities in the world. As Uganda evolves, there is need to look at the kind of students we produce rather than examination results,†he says.
Morris says the UNEB syllabus relies on memorisation such that students are taught to learn but not necessarily think! In contrast, he says, Cambridge programmes encourage intellectual curiosity, research and critical thinking.
“We need to educate students for the technological age of tomorrow. Time will come when students will carry no books but lap top computers for use in wireless classrooms and laboratories,†he says.
The school charges $450 (sh837,000) per student per term. Asked whether the money isn’t so high, Morris says,
“No, students get more value for money. We are cheap compared to other international schools. We create career opportunities for our students worth every dollar.â€
The father of four might be in the twilight of his career, but would like to embrace retirement at Vienna College.
“There is a big job to be done here and the challenges are not small, but the people I work with and the students make it worthwhile. If only there were more hours in the day…. and electricity,†he says.