Gayaza mourns the passing of a centurion teacher

By Arthur Ba guma
On February 28, hundreds of Gayaza old girls across the globe joined in the celebration to mark the 100th birthday of their former school head teacher, Joan Cox.

“Happy Birthday Joan. May we live to enjoy many more years of your life. What a great legacy you left behind in Gayaza High School. We live to enjoy it every time.” This was a message from Kristine Amito, an old girl of the school.

Elizabeth Katigo, another old student, posted a similar message: “Happy Birthday Miss Cox! We honour your choice to serve Gayaza selflessly. Thank you and may the remaining years be better than you can ever imagine!”

Little did the two know that that was the last time they would communicate to the former head teacher and the brain behind the graceful culture of discipline, hard work and academic excellence associated with Gayaza High School products.

A few weeks after this memorable celebration, news trickled in over the weekend from thousands of miles away in the United Kingdom that she had passed on.

The social media went viral with sad news spreading like bush fire. It was the end of the road which started for the then beautiful cheerful young English lady who came to Gayaza High School courtesy of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) in 1938 and left after 34 years of service.

“I am greatly saddened to hear of Cox’s passing. We exchanged emails for a while in 2002. Regrettably, that’s the last correspondence I had with her. Her legacy will forever be with the Gayaza spirit,” mourned Sylvia Okia in a post on Facebook.

To many, her death is also a climax of the celebration of her great works, especially the laying of the foundation of Uganda’s girl-child education movement.

“We thank God that you have served and that your life has touched many generations of Gayaza and Ugandans and will touch many generations to come,” mourned Joyce Mpanga an old student.

Victoria Kisarale, the school James Anguzu, Arua: We love you as you served our country selflessly. REST IN PEACE Steve, Brisbane: RIP JC, you left your mark!

Brian, Dakar: A well-deserved rest. If each one of us created one tenth of Cox’s Gayaza, we would rest knowing the future is brighter than the past. In our current circumstances the past looks brighter than the future if you use Gayaza as an example! Lessons to learn. Rest in peace.

Christina Mugwanya, Kampala: After such a selfless service, the rest is well deserved. May you rest in peace. Ntege Freddie Ssekamere, Kampala: Your soul will live for ever. GHS has produced many prominent people, many of whom have not lived to see you depart. May your soul live in eternal peace.

Lillian Okeng, London: May the Almighty God rest her soul internal peace Kaka John, Kampala: May her soul rest in everlasting glory Amen. She obviously helped teach many Ugandans and from what I have read about her, she was such a selfless lady, a challenge to those that passed through her hands.

Head teacher, remembers Cox as a great teacher whose influence reached all corners of Uganda and a great advocate of girl child education.

“Cox’s influence reached all corners of Uganda and she influenced the girl child education at a time when society was highly biased by a culture of male preference,” remarks Kisarale.

During Cox’s 34 years at Gayaza, much of the now beautiful set up of Gayaza campus was hatched. Her wise leadership led to the establishment of the school chapel, the library and administration block.

The three structures symbolise the three pillars on which the Gayaza legacy stands-the virtuous Christian values, academic excellence and discipline.

Cox was born on February 27, 1912 in a family of three girls. She was raised in Wimbledon, near London. She studied English at London University, and taught for a while in the UK. Later she was sent by the Church Missionary Society to Uganda in 1938.

Nancy Corby was the headmistress of Gayaza at that time. Everything was difficult during the 1939-45 World War II period, but upon joining Gayaza, Cox began to develop junior secondary classes. The girls slept and learnt in the old block (now demolished) and in various thatched huts around.

During this period, Cox often travelled up-country to recruit the brightest girls from other schools. In 1952, she was appointed headmistress and persuaded four girls to stay at school and sit the Cambridge Overseas School Certificate in 1954.

All were successful and all four were later involved in education themselves, notably Joyce Masembe (now Mrs. Mpanga), who was later recruited on the staff.

In the 1960s, double streaming began, then triple and numbers grew from about120 to over 600 by the time she left. HSC classes, later A’level, began in 1962 and seven girls obtained their HSC certificates in 1963, including Rose (later Professor) Mbowa.

But while all this was going on, Cox maintained her interest in children and taught English to P6, 7 and P8, as well as running the Sunday school and training older girls as teachers.

During these years, most of the permanent buildings were constructed. Apart from developing the infrastructure and overseeing the increasing number of students and staff, Cox was noted for many wonderful plays and pageants, including the Jubilee Pageant in 1955, productions of Pilgrim’s Progress, Joseph and the Huge drama and Nakalema and the Crane.

Under Cox’s leadership, Gayaza became known as “the school”. Most of the first female doctors, lawyers and professors who went to Makerere University passed through her hands.

Within days of her retirement in 1972, Id Amin expelled the Asians and her dream of being succeeded by a Ugandan was delayed for many years, but the standards she had set remained and blossomed, despite all that happened in the 1970s and 1980s.

Although she returned to England in 1972, Cox was back to Uganda in 1976 for the formal launching of the dormitory named after her. She also planted a tree to commemorate her visit.

In 2005, she came back to Gayaza for the school’s centenary celebrations. After a few years in London, helping at the Overseas Students Club, she and Mollie Patterson moved to Sussex, where they were visited by many old girls and former staff.

At the time of her death she was living in a Nursing Home in Sussex, still delighted to see old friends and students.