Prime
Nurtured by literature
53-year-old John Baptist Buyonje
Many times, the major themes of literary works rotate around love, hate, politics and betrayal, which are largely a reflection of our daily lives. And these also shape the attitude of most people towards these same aspects. John Baptist Buyonje, a retired teacher, but compelled by passion to remain active in his teaching career is no exception. He says literature is the mirror which he uses to shape his character in society.
Interacting with him during a recent interview at Matale Church of Uganda Secondary School, one of the schools in his neighbourhood where he teaches, he keeps making references to Romeo and Juliet, The Wedding of Zein where a crippled woman marries a rich man and Animal Farm which he says reflects the true nature of politics in Uganda and the world.
Born on June 17, 1953 at Butembe Village, Kyengeza Parish Kirumba Sub-County in the then Rakai now Kyotera District, Buyonje was inspired to join the teaching profession by his father Aloysius Nanseera who also served for 25 years as a head teacher in various primary schools in Masaka District.
Buyonje started his education at Kirumba Primary School, Kyotera District in 1960-1965 before joining St. Savio Junior School, Kisubi in 1966 where he acquired his Primary Leaving Certificate.
In 1967-1970 he joined St. Henry’s College Kitovu and received a Cambridge East African Certificate of Education and in 1967-1970 he acquired the Cambridge East African Advanced Certificate of Education and later joined Makerere University for a Bachelors of Arts between 1973 and graduated in 1976.
Start of career
Buyonje joined Gombe Secondary School to teach History of Central Africa, English language and Literature in English in 1976 but left for Sir Samuel Barker in Gulu that same year.
“Most of the teachers of literature usually compare their bosses to Napoleon in the Animal Farm not forgetting the famous quote of ‘all animals are equal, but some are more equal than the others’,” he says, adding that this is mainly done by graduates who cannot tolerate being belittled by their superiors.
In 1980, he was transferred to St Henry’s College, Kitovu, where he headed the literature department and in 1999 he joined St. John Mary Mzee, Bigada at Mutukula border. After eight years, in 2007, Buyonje requested to be transferred to Matale Church of Uganda SS which he says is near his home at Kito Village in Kalisizo Sub-county. He taught at Matale until his retirement in 2013.
According to Buyonje, government’s removal of oral examinations of literature in English has continued to kill the subject. “Few students now have the art of public speaking and very few schools can afford to buy literature texts making majority concentrate on English language only as a subject,” Buyonje expresses his distress.
He adds that once the school lacks necessary requirements in any given subject, it leads to poor performance; one of the greatest disappointments of any passionate teacher.
A worthwhile journey
The father of five boys and two girls says none of his children has ever failed an English exam although all the graduates have chosen the medical profession. Out of savings from his salary, Buyonje has constructed a house, purchased land where he has planted more than 400 coffee trees and a banana plantation to support his family.
Teaching has also enabled him to travel outside Uganda to schools such as Mwani Girls, Mwala Girls, Mazinga Boys -all in Eastern Kenya as a Literature in English consultant as well as a teacher. He was also once an examiner of English paper 112/1 at Kenya National Examination Council with the late Lawrence Mukiibi from 1984 to 1987.
