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st. bernardette’s primary school, uganda
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This environment of course, affects the children who attend the school. Some are orphans due to the HIV/Aids epidemic which has taken away so many parents. The generation of wage-earners is, for the most part, missing. This has affected the development in the area and hence there has been an increase in poverty and a lowering of the standards of living. Jinja is an industrial town, where many people come looking for employment in factories. But many of these have closed down. In the last two years due privatisation in the country, many workers were retrenched, leaving most of our parents unemployed. This has led to an increased number of school dropouts as well as stagnation in development. Since then many people have turned to subsistence farming and small businesses. The main source of income of the area is agriculture. People grow bananas (matooke in the local language, the staple diet), coffee, beans and sweet potatoes. Some engage in small businesses, trading, keeping shops, fishing for those who live near Lake Victoria. In spite of all these difficulties, the people of the area still long for the education of their children.
It was as a dream, “let us start as school where our children will be educated”, that St. Bernardette’s began in 1952. The purpose was to educate the children so that they would acquire the necessary skills to pursue their studies into secondary school and beyond. In this way standards of living would be improved and poverty eventually eradicated. “This is what we desire and what we want our children to live”, one parent mentioned. The parents have been very supportive, from the first initiative to open the school onwards. It took several years for the school to operate fully, but it moved “slowly by slowly”. Since then the parents have kept up their desire for education for their children and their commitment to the school. The school now has 9 classes, 2 kindergarten classes and 7 from primary one to seven, with a total of 390 pupils. It is a mixed school for girls and boys, and all children come to school by day.
Apart from being an academic institution, St. Bernardette’s provides opportunities for co-curricular activities so that the children will develop both knowledge and skills. Among these activities are music, dance, drama, games and sports, arts and crafts, science fairs, and gardening. We have very gifted girls and boys and we encourage each one of them to build on their talents and on the opportunities offered.
The school has a small garden where the children learn agricultural skills in a practical way, by preparing nursery beds, planting trees and vegetables etc. We have participated several times in competitions for games and sports, music and dance and drama, as well as athletics. St. Bernardette’s has always done very well in these activities. We are proud of the fact that last year we sent some pupils to the athletics competition at national level. We also reached the diocesan level for the music competition.
Several Kenyan and Ugandan members of the nearby rscj community at Mbiko have been, or are currently, on the staff of St. Bernardette’s. The present Headmistresses, as well as her two predecessors, are also Ugandan rscj.
The mission of St. Bernardette’s school:
We want to educate the whole person in all aspects, intellectual, moral, spiritual and physical so that our students become people of integrity who are able to think for themselves in this challenging world and make it a better place.
Our goals and objectives:
God and the child are at the centre of the existence of our school.
- The school encourages a family spirit, characterised by sharing responsibility, discipline and hard work.
- The education we give is intended to form to critical thinking.
- We encourage the parents to play an active part in the education of their children.
- Truth and honesty are valued and encouraged both among the staff and children.
- We teach to work for justice and peace.
- We encourage a spirit of appreciation, respect of self and others, welcoming the gift of self and neighbour.
- We want our children to grow in concern for others and awareness of the needs around them.
Our joys:
All of the above have been strong moments of giving life and the source of our joy and happiness. It is indeed our joy as a staff to see our seed growing. The young children we educate are open to receive what we offer them, and we are able to use the little resources that we have and get the most out of them. Last year the students did very well in the Primary leaving examination, and all the students passed with good grades.
Our challenges:
Aware of the catastrophe that HIV/Aids has caused, we as educators are challenged by the increasing need of the orphans around us, especially for education. The Government of Uganda has made a great effort to create awareness among the population on the AIDS epidemic, but the damage that it has caused since it started is a great challenge, still. Some of our students who are orphans live on their own, or with old grandparents who cannot give them what they need as growing children.
We are also challenged to find ways to give to these children an education of quality. Most schools today are commercial ventures. Society today demands of us patience as teachers, because we are dealing with all sorts of children, for example, those who are traumatized, or those who learn at a slower pace.
We feel challenged to have teachers who work for salaries which are not living wages, yet who are happy to have employment.
We strongly believe that the God who began this work in us will also complete it and take it for his glory.
Elizabeth Nakubulwa rscj
Annet Kyalimpa rscj
Province of Uganda - Kenya