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70 years on, Trinity College, Nabingo’s candle still burning
Trinity College Nabingo has managed to maintain its virtues of self drive, discipline, hard work and result oriented attitudes. Photo by Stephen Otage.
What you need to know:
When it opened 70 years ago, there were only 20 students. The school has produced some of the country’s finest women and currently boasts about 1,700 students.
“Today I can boldly stand and shout out how proud I am for the school that moulded me. The developmental friends I have today were all accumulated while in school and because we were taught how to treat and treasure our pals, they have contributed to my fully satisfactory life I lead today”.
Ann Nassamula, 25years, has those sentiments about this 70-year-old academic institution that has stood upto date. She is just one of the thousands that have had a chance to attain a quality education from Trinity College Nabingo(TRICONA).
Quiet, green and enclosed in a green fir tree fence that is overly grown, lies the institution 9Km off Masaka Road. On a vast area of land, the school is spacious enough to provide a good study atmosphere to the students. The institution has remained just exactly as it did 70 years ago with upright neat structures that are well maintained.
For academics it has been an upward curve for the school, registering better results year after year. Over years, the school has grown from grass to grace in improvement in academic performance and social development. It is one institute that has left a mark in the last 50 years, through the fruits it has natured-the school’s old students.
As a girl’s school, many female nationals have a great tale about their school. Ms Kotilda Nakatte Kikomeko, an old student and also the school’s third black headmistress, narrates the genesis of the school.
She says the school was founded by White Fathers with only 20 students. Later it was handed over to the White Sisters. These took on administration for 18 years, until 1960 when they too, handed over administration to the Africans— to Ms Margaret Nsereko, the first black headmistress .
Since then, African leadership rocked, the school was headed by only old students, a technique that was used to maintain the school’s virtues of self drive, discipline, hard work and result oriented attitudes. They offered training ranging from academic to leadership skills, spiritual, housekeeping skills, social networking and sports. Ms Nakatte says; “We have tried to give an all round education so that our girls are not only academically sound but also sharp in other fields of life.
Ms Nassamula says spiritually, the school played a big role in her life. She says daily mass at the school chapel was compulsory, something that seemed like a punishment but this, she believes has made her the religious girl who never underestimates God’s potential.
“We had this nun who on a daily basis insisted that we recite the prayer, ‘Holy Mary, pray for us and our future husbands’ and we often shunned it but when I reminiscence, I find that a powerful prayer through which we asked God to bless our future.”
In the sports section, TRICONA was a giant especially in athletics in the 1990’s up to early 2000 but they have since declined in this section although they continue to shine in badminton, lawn tennis and table tennis.
However, Ms Nakatte says the school is out to re-attain this glory and they have established houses in which they train their students in sports skills.
And as an academically sound school, TRICONA has endvoured to remain on top of the game through focusing on recruitment of teachers who are tick and constant tests given to keep the students’ minds awake and active all the time. The school also offers proper feeding-a balanced diet, food attained form the school farm, and participation in social activities to keep the students alert.
Today as the school wallows in self fulfillment, there is need to fight the devil of congestion that has eaten into the institution. With over 1,700 students, the school has limited facilities to cater for all of them, a problem they have found difficult to deal with since it has become a norm that started way back.
“It has been a norm since the initiation of the school but we shall slowly trim the numbers,” Ms Kikomeko says, adding; “TRICONA was the only school that could accommodate all kinds of students in the past regardless of their academic or financial status, something that was done as good will to the Nabbingo community and this has carried on until date.”
But, according to the headmistress, there is need to decongest the institution and inculcate the spirit of hard work so as to get better grades, like was the case before. She says last year (2011), even though the school recorded good results at Ordinary level (71 in Grade 1 and 21 in second Grade), better results could have been attained.
Going forward, she hopes to take the school to a level of producing only first grade graduates at O-Level while sending majority of their A-level students to university on government sponsorship.
Prominent old students
• Geraldine Namirembe Bitamazire –Ugandan educator and politician. Previously Minister of Education and Sports, from 1979 until 1980 and from 2005 until 2011. MP Mpigi District from 2001 to 2011
• Lady Justice Letticia Kikonyogo - Deputy Chief Justice.
• Lady Justice Christine Nakaseeta Kitumba - Justice of the Supreme Court.
• Justice Dr Esther Kisakye Mayambala — Supreme Court
• Prof Maria Goretti Musoke — Head of Library MUK
• Dr Grace Nambatya — Director National Chemotherapeutic Laboratory
• Sr Elizabeth Ocheng — Former Mother General Sisters of St Francis Nkokonjeru
• Sr Namaganda — Mother General Banabikira Bwanda Sisters
• Hon. Rosemary Seninde – Woman MP Wakiso Distirct
• Hon. Syda Bumba — Ex-Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development
• Hon. Hope Ruhindi Mwesigye – Lawyer and politician. She is the former Minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry & Fisheries
• Aisha Lubega — Headmistress Nabisunsa Girl’s School
• Joanita Kawalya - Artiste
