Innocent Kenganzi breaks 40 year record at Mabindi School
WHILE Makerere University prepared for the 42 graduation ceremony last week, a group of people had already started celebrating.
By Dan nSalasatta in Rukungiri
WHILE Makerere University prepared for the 42 graduation ceremony last week, a group of people had already started celebrating.
Mabindi Primary School was honouring two very special people. One was a PhD holder, an old Boy (OB) of the school, the other was a young woman who was slated to graduate from Makerere.
Located in the rural ridges of Mihenvu and Katwekembwa Mountains in Nyakishenyi sub county, Rubabo County in Rukungiri district, the school only boasts of five graduates in its 40 years of existence.
Innocent Kenganzi is the first woman graduate Mabindi PS has produced. So excited was the school administration that a pre-graduation party was held. The whole village was invited to this great celebration.
Kenganzi could not believe her ears. She had travelled to her ancestral home for her Christmas holiday and to announce to the grand parents that she was to graduate on Jan 17, 2003.
The news went round the village, and it so happened that Dr. Alex Tindimubona, one of the first OBs of Mabindi PS to graduate with a university degree in 1973, had also travelled to the village. Tindimubona holds a Ph.D in Quatum Chemistry.
Such was Tindimubona’s excitement that on hearing the good news, he climbed on top of the mountain in search of the network to invite a New Vision reporter to witness the occasion as the community celebrated.
Kenganzi was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree with Education in Mathematics and Physics from Makerere University.
Innocent Kenganzi attended Mabindi PS, City PS, Mary Hill SS and Makerere University.
Tindimubona who works with the Network for Ugandan Researchers and Research Users (NURRU) was shocked to find his former school in a “deplorable state†when he visited it 10 years ago. He decided to do something.
“I felt challenged and organised a fundraising drive through Canadian friends and old ladies of save the children fund of British Columbia and started rehabilitating the school, in collaboration with the management, to regain full primary status,†he says.
Local NGOs like Adventist Relief Agency (ADRA) also came forward to help. The school now has registered tremendous progress in terms of new classrooms housed in the newly built block. A staff house has also been built through ADRA.
The school has so far a total enrolment of 317. The rise in numbers was also due to the introduction of Universal Primary Education (UPE) in 1997. This saw a sudden rise from 80 pupils to 210 initially.
Such development has made the district education office to consider elevating the school to the primary five level, says the headteacher.
The school head is pleased with the old students who have contributed to reviving the school. He says they have started a scholarship scheme to inspire the children in the area to study and reach university.
Tindimubona formed the Mabindi University Focus Scholarship (MUFS) scheme.
Six students have so far won the scholarship since its launch in 1994. To win the award, one has to be a former student of Mabindi who excels at ‘O’ level. The fund pays for ‘A’ level education. Three of the MUFS winners have managed to join on government sponsorship.
Some of the beneficiaries of this scheme include Dennis Ariho (1999) currently pursuing a Law Degree, and James Tushabomwe (1998) doing BSC with Education in Mbarara University.
Tindimubona said his next focus is to wage war on poverty in his village by introducing chicken rearing in order to enable the community to raise some money and support the children at school.
WHILE Makerere University prepared for the 42 graduation ceremony last week, a group of people had already started celebrating.
Mabindi Primary School was honouring two very special people. One was a PhD holder, an old Boy (OB) of the school, the other was a young woman who was slated to graduate from Makerere.
Located in the rural ridges of Mihenvu and Katwekembwa Mountains in Nyakishenyi sub county, Rubabo County in Rukungiri district, the school only boasts of five graduates in its 40 years of existence.
Innocent Kenganzi is the first woman graduate Mabindi PS has produced. So excited was the school administration that a pre-graduation party was held. The whole village was invited to this great celebration.
Kenganzi could not believe her ears. She had travelled to her ancestral home for her Christmas holiday and to announce to the grand parents that she was to graduate on Jan 17, 2003.
The news went round the village, and it so happened that Dr. Alex Tindimubona, one of the first OBs of Mabindi PS to graduate with a university degree in 1973, had also travelled to the village. Tindimubona holds a Ph.D in Quatum Chemistry.
Such was Tindimubona’s excitement that on hearing the good news, he climbed on top of the mountain in search of the network to invite a New Vision reporter to witness the occasion as the community celebrated.
Kenganzi was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree with Education in Mathematics and Physics from Makerere University.
Innocent Kenganzi attended Mabindi PS, City PS, Mary Hill SS and Makerere University.
Tindimubona who works with the Network for Ugandan Researchers and Research Users (NURRU) was shocked to find his former school in a “deplorable state†when he visited it 10 years ago. He decided to do something.
“I felt challenged and organised a fundraising drive through Canadian friends and old ladies of save the children fund of British Columbia and started rehabilitating the school, in collaboration with the management, to regain full primary status,†he says.
Local NGOs like Adventist Relief Agency (ADRA) also came forward to help. The school now has registered tremendous progress in terms of new classrooms housed in the newly built block. A staff house has also been built through ADRA.
The school has so far a total enrolment of 317. The rise in numbers was also due to the introduction of Universal Primary Education (UPE) in 1997. This saw a sudden rise from 80 pupils to 210 initially.
Such development has made the district education office to consider elevating the school to the primary five level, says the headteacher.
The school head is pleased with the old students who have contributed to reviving the school. He says they have started a scholarship scheme to inspire the children in the area to study and reach university.
Tindimubona formed the Mabindi University Focus Scholarship (MUFS) scheme.
Six students have so far won the scholarship since its launch in 1994. To win the award, one has to be a former student of Mabindi who excels at ‘O’ level. The fund pays for ‘A’ level education. Three of the MUFS winners have managed to join on government sponsorship.
Some of the beneficiaries of this scheme include Dennis Ariho (1999) currently pursuing a Law Degree, and James Tushabomwe (1998) doing BSC with Education in Mbarara University.
Tindimubona said his next focus is to wage war on poverty in his village by introducing chicken rearing in order to enable the community to raise some money and support the children at school.