Educate! Partner Schools
Educate! relies on interviews with administrators and recommendations from advisors to select partner schools across Uganda who will be the most receptive to the Educate! Experience.
Partner schools are selected based on their initiative to go beyond teaching to the test, motivation of the school community to adopt the Experience, and a receptive culture to new ideas. Through a series of six key meetings with administrators, teachers, and students, Educate! builds close working relationships with each school to incorporate the form of education modeled by the Experience into the culture of the school, thus impacting the education system itself using a bottom-up approach.
Educate! selected a diverse group of 24 partner schools including all girls schools, all boys schools; Christian schools, Muslim schools; wealthy and underprivileged schools; and geographically diverse schools.
Educate!’s partner schools agree to allow their most highly motivated students to participate in the Experience in addition to the regular academic schedule.
Educate!’s director, Eric Glustrom, with the teachers at Mt. Masaba High School, one of Educate!’s partner schools.
Budadiri Girls School, one of Educate!’s partner schools in the mountains outside of Mbale, Uganda.
Partner School Profiles
Educate! currently works with 24 partner schools in Uganda. The majority are close to Kampala, with a few located in Hoima to the West and a few located in Mbale to the East of the country. Our schools are divided into unique “clusters” and each Educate! mentor will be responsible for covering all the schools in one cluster.
In choosing its partner schools, Educate! searched for schools that were open to Educate!’s approach – an innovative curriculum that goes beyond a search for good examination marks and really challenges students to think critically. In Uganda, government schools are often under funded while private schools are often run as businesses where the administration is looking to increase student enrollment to create school fee revenue rather than provide an education.
Educate!’s partner schools are diverse – from top-end privileged schools with well-known names to small community schools hidden down a beaten path - but the common denominator is that each school is invested in empowering its students to become leaders. From mixed to single sex schools, Muslim to Seventh Day Adventist schools, schools with libraries to schools with no proper kitchen we believe that the Educate! Experience (the Socially Responsible Leadership Course, the Social Entrepreneurship Clubs combined with Mentorship) is applicable to all students and teachers no matter what background.
Mbale Cluster
One of the first clusters to be developed, Mbale lies 4 hours to the west of Kampala surrounded by beautiful rolling hills.
Mt. Masaba High School
A pioneer partner school, Mt. Masaba is unique in that its school population is 50% Muslim 50% Christian. A medium socio economic status private school, Mt. Masaba was founded by a group of members from financially constricted backgrounds who wanted to make a contribution. Their goal is to bring students of different backgrounds and beliefs together in cross cultural partnership. One Educate! mentor trainee, Shanyisa Juliet from Kenya is a graduate of Mt. Masaba. In addition, a founding member of Mt. Masaba, Aramanzan Madanda is a member of Educate!’s Advisory Board.
Mt. Masaba embraces the values of transformative leadership and social entrepreneurship, and was instrumental in helping to create the Social Entrepreneurship Club Model.
Mbale High School
A large public school, Mbale High is of quite low socio economic status. Educate!’s programs will be particularly relevant at Mbale High as its students would not normally get such an opportunity elsewhere. With large class sizes and low teacher pay, the mentorship and extra resource provided by the Educate! mentor at Mbale High will be important.
Nabumali High School
Nabumali is a large, high socio economic status school well-known for good exam results. Recently, the school has had problems with students strikes (which are pervasive all over Uganda). A few years ago the administration block was burnt down and the school’s relations with the local community are strained. The old headmaster’s life was threatened and the government transferred him to another school (Kitara Secondary School in Hoima, also an Educate! partner school). Bridging this divide between the school and the community will be one of the main challenges and goals for the Educate! mentor and the Nabumali Social Entrepreneurship Club.
Hamdan Girls Muslim School
An all girls Muslim school, entry to this school’s campus is only permitted as a female with a skirt. A medium socio-economic status school, the school’s culture, administration and teachers are reserved and proper. At the same time, the girls themselves are lively and talkative. They are eager for Educate!’s programs to start.
Nakaloke Islamic Secondary School
Located near Mbale Town, Nakaloke Islamic is a private Muslim school founded with a small population of about 376 students. The Head teacher, Mr. Kiwanuka Ayub who believes in educating the whole person, is very enthusiastic about the Educate! Program.
Hoima Cluster
Located 3 to 4 hours west of Kampala, Hoima is the closest major town to Kyangwali Refugee Settlement where the majority of Educate!’s sponsored students come from. Many Educate! students still remain in Hoima’s secondary schools for their studies, as well as members of COBURWAS Club (based in Kyangwali and ran by Educate! sponsored students).
Kitara Secondary School
A solid medium socio-economic school, Kitara SS is home to quite a few Educate! sponsored students, including the President of COBURWAS Wereje Benson (now in his second year at Makerere University). The headteacher is the former head of Nabumali High School in Mbale and a big fan of Educate!’s programs. With the number of COBURWAS students in the school, the Educate! mentor should have little trouble getting the Kitara Social Entrepreneurship Club to work with the local community! Given Educate!’s long term history with Kitara SS, selecting only 15 students from the Senior 5 class for the Socially Responsible Leadership Course will be a hard job!
Duhaga Secondary School
A high socio-economic status school, Duhaga SS is one of the best known science schools outside of Kampala. The first school that Educate! sent a sponsored student to, Duhaga SS is familiar with Educate!’s values and approach. Joseph Munyambanza was a student at Duhaga before attending the African Leadership Academy in South Africa.
Morningstar Christian High School
A new school, Morningstar Christian is a very low socio economic status school with a small school population. Here, the Socially Responsible Leadership Course will be offered to the whole Senior 5 class. While there are some members of COBURWAS in the school, the students are still new to the school and have little confidence. It will be a good challenge for the Educate! mentor to bring a sense of empowerment to these students!
Sir Tito Winyi Secondary School
Set outside of Hoima, Sir Tito Winyi is a medium socio economic status school with a large campus. Educate! has sent a few sponsored students there, including Marcel Bahati who was the first refugee Head Boy the school ever had.
Bwikya Muslim Secondary School
Being the only Muslim school in Hoima, Bwikya is also one of the few Secondary Schools that has embraced Universal Secondary Education- a government program that allows students access free education. With a low socio economic status, Bwikya has a population of about 1,278 students. It is also a home to many refugees and COBURWAS members (an organization started by Educate! students: www.coburwas.org)
Wakiso Cluster
A large and spread out cluster, Wakiso is in the north west of Kampala.
Taibah College
A high socio economic status school, Taibah College is one of the most well-known schools in Uganda. Along with attaining strong exam results, Taibah’s teachers really think about how to provide a quality education to its students. A key contact of Educate! is English Literature teacher Annete who creates daily discussion topics for her students to debate on from tribalism to safe sex to corruption. Taibah’s students will be prime candidates for the Socially Responsible Leadership Course.
Greenhill College
A low socio economic status school, Greenhill perches on a hill close to Mukono town (an hour outside of Kampala). Despite there being no glass in the school’s windows, Greenhill makes up for its basic infrastructure by the fantastic view the students have while studying. Founded by a Ugandan organization called the Youth League, many students are orphans and are supported by the school as they cannot afford the school fees. The students are a lively bunch, many of the boys favour 50 cent and Missy Eliot T-shirts although they’ve never heard their music!
Aga Khan
Also a well-known school in Uganda, Aga Khan is a large well-respected private school funded by the Aga Khan Foundation. The teachers have helped to review Educate!’s Socially Responsible Leadership Curriculum. Their deputy headteacher, Fred Tukahirwa is a supporter of mentorship in school and a supporter of Educate!’s programs. Fred is also a founder of another Educate! partner school, New Kabale.
New Kabale
Started in 2005, New Kabale is a low socio economic status school founded by Fred Tukahirwa of Aga Khan and 3 others. The goal of New Kabale was to create a school with the same open culture and philosophy of Aga Khan, but for lower income students. With many students supported by the school and minimal school fees, the school is working to increase membership so it can become sustainable. The New Kabale students are very impressive – they all participate in weekly debates (for example, “Is the modern world better than the traditional world”) that generate a huge amount of energy and enthusiasm from the students.
Namugongo Secondary and Vocational School
The only vocational school that Educate! works with, Namugongo Secondary and Vocational School is focused on their students’ futures beyond exam results. The school has an innovative and practical approach to education and as such is a great partner school for Educate! Students who’re weaker academically are encouraged to attend vocational classes (for example, carpentry). A medium socio economic status school, the infrastructure if well funded by the Children’s Welfare Mission. With their own borehole, the school has clean drinking water running from its pipes and allows the local community to fill their jerry cans from a tap outside the school gates. During school vacations, local children are invited to the campus for summer camp. The school’s vision is to make its students self reliant and independent.
Kawempe Cluster
Kawampe is an area located in the north of Kampala.
Midland High School
Midland High School is a medium socio economic status Seventh Day Adventist school. A large school, Midland is well established with an interesting student body. The deputy headteacher John Mann was instrumental in helping to identify other partner schools in the area.
Gayaza High School
Gayaza High School is one of the top all girls schools in Uganda. The headmistress Vicky is a highly energetic woman focused on honing the leadership skills of her girls. Already involved in service projects with the local community, Gayaza is a strong supporter of Educate!’s programs with a great student body.
Kinaawa High School
A public high school with a mixed student body, Kinaawa has a large campus and is looking to grow.
Gayaza Cambridge College
A private school, Gayaza Cambridge College is tucked away down a beaten path. Having already established their Social Entrepreneurship Club, the students have purchased 2 local goats which they have cross bred with an exotic goat. While the local goat is more immune to disease, the reproductive cycle of the exotic breed is quicker and their meat is better. Once their goats have kids, the Club plans to give them to needy members of the local community. The students are very ambitious, with dreams from becoming an aeronautical engineer to becoming a politician to becoming an actress.
Busiro Cluster
Busiro lies south of Kampala.
Busiro Community College School
Founded by Educate! Advisory Board Member Martin Kisawuzi, Busiro Community College is one of the lowest socio economic schools Educate! works with. Many of the students are orphans and a lot of them are school dependents (they cannot afford school fees so do some work for the school). Martin’s vision is to help the students find a direction for their own lives. The students have already established their Social Entrepreneurship Club and presented a business plan for a poultry farm.
Light High School Sseguku
A solid medium socio economic school, Light High School is our second Seventh Day Adventist school. The first school to start teaching entrepreneurship even before it became an official UNEB (Ugandan National Education Board) subject, Light High School is an ideal partner school. The students have already created a Social Entrepreneurship Club, working hard to cultivate eggplant and passion fruit. Their next planned project is a poultry farm.
St. Mary’s College at Kisubi (SMACK)
An all boys Catholic school, SMACK is one of the most prestigious schools in Uganda. Providing an elite education, SMACK boys do very well on their A level exams. The SMACK boys are also pioneers of the Educate! Social Entrepreneurship Club model. They started a piggery benefiting a local widow trying to send her granddaughter to school last year. Piglets are due in February – a portion will remain with the widow for income, and the other portion will be returned to the club and redistributed to new needy families identified in the community.
Makindye Cluster
Makindye lies south east of the centre of Kampala.
Royal High School
A solid medium socio economic school, Royal High School is a large public school with an enthusiastic headteacher.
Greenhill Academy
A well-known school, Greenhill Academy has a culture of entrepreneurship stemming from its headteacher who started his own shoe business at the age of 17. With already a couple of entrepreneurship clubs established, Greenhill’s students have started a recycling project for their school and created revision CDs for their fellow students (profits were used to buy malaria nets for a local community). The Educate! mentor should have an easy time inspiring students at this school!
Pearl High School
Around the corner from Royal High School and a local (friendly) rival, Pearl High School is a well regarded public school.
Katuuso Community Academy
Literally down the road from the Educate! office in Buziga, Katuuso Community Academy has an animated headteacher who directs their rather marvelous choir. Started by local community members since there was no other school, Katuuso Community Academy is a low socio economic status school with lots of promise.
Lira Cluster
Lira is Educate!’s newest Cluster in Northern Uganda, an area that has been war-torn for the last 25 years and is only just returning to peace. It’s located in the heart of Lango Sub-region, five hours from Kampala.
Lango College
An all boys government school, Lango College is one of the oldest and most prestigious schools in the Lira Dstrict. The boys are well known for their good performance and discipline and have been using the Educate! Curriculum as a leadership guide. As a result the boys have beautified their compound with flowers and trees.
King James Comprehensive School
Started in 2004, King James is a low-socio economic status school that is growing steadily with a population of 1900 students. The founder Mr. Odongo Dickson, believes in equal opportunities and started the school to help the poor access quality education. The Head Teacher is excited to have the Educate! Experience in his school and believes it will equip students with skills to combat poverty.
Rachele Comprehensive Secondary School
A former rehabilitation center for ex child soldiers, Rachele is a Secondary Vocational school that equips students with knowledge and practical skills. It’s named after a nun called Rachele, who struggled to rescue the Aboke girls who had been abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels in 1996. Out of the 400 students, 153 students are former abductees who are still traumatized by the atrocities committed during the war. The Educate! Experience, especially the Mentorship Program, will play a big role in transforming the students’ lives.
St Katherine Girls School
Located close to Lira Town, St Katherine is the oldest and the top girls schools in Lira. The girls are full of life, focused and hard working just like their headmistress Cony. The headmistress believes in a holistic education that builds the entire person. She looks at the Educate Experience as an opportunity for the girls to realize and develop their potential.