Veröffentlicht am von Ronald Mulondo

END OF TERM III

Greetings from the family of St. Peter’s secondary school Bombo-Kalule. The teachers, non-teaching staff, students and parents greet you with end of year joy, and warmly thank you for all your contributions towards the success of term III that ended successfully on the 7th December 2018, and the entire academic year 2018. It was a challenging year financially, with endless financial demands, and your timely contributions, sustenance and involvement enabled us conclude the term successfully.

The ending term was a landmark in the history of our internal operation. A lot of input was added in areas like approach to teaching, handling of students in class, daily routine management at school, confidence building among both teachers and students, first hand content to students about some European aspects, integration and simplification of content among others. This was because of the dissemination and sharing of such great experiences obtained by Ronald Mulondo’s three weeks visit to Berlin and other parts of The Federal Republic of Germany up to 21st September. Thank you so much the community of Lichtenberg for financing the  historical visit, all host families and individuals visited, church groups and leaders and to all the people who  generously contributed financially towards St. Peter’s, especially towards the School main hall. A lot of gifts from different individuals were much appreciated by the school, individual students and teachers. It was such a visit, suiting an English proverb; ‘A good turn, deserves another”

Despite a few challenges, a lot has been achieved in the ending terms, which include the following:

  1. We were able to roof the school main hall and was used for National examinations in October/December as required by the examinations commission. This was possible because of the contributions of students’ community who made bricks, savings from the school, contributions from Learn-Apply-Proceed.ev Germany and above all a great contribution from Litchenberg. This was a great unexpected achievable demand by the commission, but we thank God who worked through all of you sustainers, who enabled us to achieve our objective.
  2. A total of five double room teachers houses are under construction and will be finished hopefully towards the end of the year. This was partly possible because of a donation from the Germany embassy in Uganda and help through Irene Jacobsen of Berlin.
  3. Our s.4 and S.6 students successfully finished their National examinations. We are glad to report that they had enough materials to use, especially in science subjects. Thanks for the great support from Learn-Apply –Proceed towards laboratory equipment and chemicals.
  4. We had food throughout the term. We had two major meals a day. We are proud that students were able to have porridge two mornings a week this term, and a changed lunch of food only on Sundays. Thanks for the contribution towards feeding from Lichtenberg.
  5. We relatively had common medicines for common illnesses at school. This was mainly financed through school fees collections. However, many students were affected by chicken pox towards the end of the term, but the situation was ably handled though expensively.
  6. We were able to pay the teaching and non-teaching staff their salaries up to November. We may not have the ability to pay them the December salary for Christmas. Thanks to Mr. Heinrich Becker (president L.A.P.ev) for continuously contributing towards salary of five teachers.
  7. Teachers were able to cover almost all their syllabi in different subjects, and had materials ranging from stationary to financial facilitation of field trips, toner, and seminars among others. This was done using school fees.
  8. We bought 23 used computers (desktops) using Ronald Mulondo’s social security savings. These helped much during the examinations, although more are still needed to reduce the big student-computer ratio for effective teaching.
  9. Students successfully competed in music, dance, drama, debates, football, netball, volleyball, live singing among others and the winning group (house) took a trophy.
  10. Students’ skills were improved in liquid soap making, candle making, cake making and paper bags. This is still done at small scale to a few students, because of insufficient funds to buy material, though a number of those who finish school greatly depend on such skills for further studies and survival.

CHALLENGES

Despite the above, we encountered some challenges which included

  1. The very unstable prices of consumer goods, including food, medicines, stationary, instructional materials, laboratory chemicals and apparatus, electricity, beds, desks, uniforms  etc
  2. The increasing number of students who lose parents, guardians or relatives who pay their fees in the course of the year, and we cannot discontinue them from school
  3. Failure by parents to meet expected payments. This is not only a St. Peter’s problem, but a general national problem among low and average income earners. Many depend on small scale crop growing. So, payment of fees depends on how successful the yields are, market availability and season. Some parents are also seasonal workers, yet others have bigger families than their income capacity. The good news is that the trend is showing positive improvement every other year. SO, a lot of fees remain in arrears.
  4.  There is still a big student to computer ratio, making teaching of computer lessons as demanded by the commission and examination authority difficult.
  5. There is still a very big risk of crossing the busy road with students, going to the football field, because we don’t have one at school. The commission strongly sent a warning about this and it features as a new demand of 2019.
  6. The treatment of students still stands a big cost to the school, due the several sicknesses students tend to report with.
  7. The cost of travelling by students in field trips is increasingly becoming high, due to the increase in subjects that require constant field trips and such numbers made compulsory in National examinations. This is because we do not have a school mini or full bus.
  8. Due to increasing cost of living, there is ever an increasing demand for pay rise from teachers and non -teaching staff
  9. Two construction payments remained in arrears. The builder (not roofer) 22,789,000 and the supplier of windows and doors 12,217,000.
  10. Most commission programs are now internet based but we are not connected to internet.

REGISTRATION OF CANDIDATES AND COMMISSION DEMANDS 2019

In the recent inspection, the commission made the following demands;

  1. As fire outbreaks are on the increase in schools, and students increasingly dying across the country in fire outbreaks in dormitories, the commission recommended that we buy at least 10 6kg fire extinguishers before the next inspection on January 31st 2019. Each costs currently 280,000 hence about 2,800,000 shillings. (about 700 euros)
  2. To change beds from triple beds to double beds for all students. This is an expensive venture, though not yet costed and will greatly disturb our internal arrangements.
  3. To put windows in rooms below the main hall to avoid intruders from using them as entry points to the school.
  4. To fence off the areas behind both the boys’ and girls’ dormitories. In many school fire outbreaks, wrong people have had direct access to dormitories without fences
  5. Put in place a football field at school. This required us to make an environmental impact assessment and get a user certificate because where we want to develop a football field is too close to the wetland. This required us a professional company and fees of 11,345,000 (2,840 euros) and the demand is appearing for its fourth year. As a way of showing compliance, we paid the sum last week. This was the saving we had made towards part of the December salary. We hope to show this as the next inspection takes place before 31st January as we plan for the football field.
  6. Those were the major recommendations, in addition to the usual ones like library, more computers etc.
  7. The list of chemicals and apparatus (also on commission internet portal) showing chemicals and apparatus to have before registration in March requires us 12,400,000. The total on commission list needs over 65,000,000, but we already have some materials in our laboratory. Those are the ones to be used in teaching physics, chemistry, biology, agriculture for all the students in all the classes for the whole year up to October.
  8. Registration of candidates will begin on March 4th and will be done electronically. The registration cost remains 205,000 for S.4 and 215,000 for S.6. There are 198 S.4s and 105 S.6s.

The term will officially start on Sunday 3rd February, and lessons the following day on 4th February 2019 and will end on Friday 3rd May 2019.

On behalf of the Students, Teachers, Parents and the community, PLEASE allow me to extend our pride and heartfelt thanks, appreciation and praise to you, for all the support and sustenance we have received in the course of the year 2018. May the Lord highly grant you heavenly blessings, good health and joy?

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2019 TO YOU ALL.

Yours in Christ,

RONALD MULONDO

FOR:  ST. PETER’S SECONDARY SCHOOL-BOMBO-KALULE

18/12/2018

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