Prime
He turned Gombe SS into a boarding school
Hajj Ali Mugagga Kasule. PHOTOs by Edgar R Batte
What you need to know:
In 1998, he became head teacher of Gombe Secondary School up to 2012. He was transferred to Lubiri Secondary School as head teacher from 2012 to date
Series.
The greatest responsibility of school head teachers is to nurture the talent of their students and staff. Some have fallen by the wayside. Others have thrived. This week, Saturday Monitor brings you Hajj Ali Mugagga Kasule, the man who transformed Gombe Secondary School from a low-ranking day-school to a boarding academic giant. He shared his story of 14 years at the helm of the school with Edgar R Batte.
The secret recipe for the management of school starts with working well with teachers. This philosopy, Hajj Ali Mugagga Kasule, believes fits perfectly to create harmony and strengthen teamwork. The former head teacher of Gombe Secondary School, however, did not limit himself to this in his quest to spur the school to academic excellence and structural development. In the students too, he found a gem.
“I believe the students are my first customers. Between my student and the parent, I will first listen to my students because this is the person I am always with. The parent is just a visitor,” he says.
His time at the helm
Kasule was at the helm of Gombe Secondary School for 14 years, (from 1998 to 2012). During this period, the school rose from one little known in the academic and sports circles to a popular establishment. The school, which was established by Sir Edward Muteesa II as a junior school, at the time of his entry, had only 670. By the time he left service, it had 2,500 students and is now a comprehensive mixed boarding secondary school and a centre of academic excellence.
“By the time I joined, the school was partly day and partly boarding. Later, I transformed it into an all-boarding school. And from that time to date, the school is known for its academic excellence and also in the co-curricular activities,” he explains, highlighting some of his achievements at the school.
He introduced several programmes that encouraged students to learn and work hard. “We introduced early morning tests, discussions during prep time. We introduced teaching on Saturdays. We also introduced remedial and beginning of terms tests. These forced students to report on time and that teaching could start immediately.”
For Kasule, creating a distinctively Gombe student was very important, thus the need for cultivating a culture.
“At Gombe SS, we teach students to fear God and work hard. We instill self-confidence in our students. Even when they are talking to you, our students talk freely,” he proudly says.
However, the educationist admits that this was a bit challenging to achieve, given the fact that the students came from different cultural background, had different upbringing and were from different religions.
“Some parents are not educated whereas others are. The way these two handle situations is different. For instance, when I introduced the morning classes, some parents were not happy about it, saying we were inconveniencing their children,” he says.
His other challenge lay in insubordinate teachers, who believed they had the same authority as the head teacher.
Managing challenges
Kasule says the best way he handled this at Gombe SS was to share his plan with his teachers so that they felt part of his aspirations.
Like that, he was able to set up a number of infrastructural developments.
“When I went there, the school had just eight buildings, but I left there mansions. I constructed a multi-billion main hall, about 14 classrooms and six laboratories. I built dormitories that could accommodate 2,500 students,” Kasule says of his developments.
Other developments
He also built staff quarters and bought more than 80 acres of land, constructed the football pitch, table tennis, netball and hand ball courts.
Kasule almost brags. “So I agree with those people who say that I contributed a lot in as far as infrastructure is concerned at Gombe SS and I am proud of that because the school is now a giant institution,” he concludes.
Profile
Hajji Ali Mugagga Kasule, Former Gombe SS head
Background. Born in Masaka District.
Education. Went to school at Kalububu Primary School. He joined Masaka Secondary School for both O-Level and A-Level. He later joined Islamic University In Uganda in 1987 to 1990, for a BA in Education.
Career.
Started serving education in 1991 as a teacher at Nabisunsa Girls School. In 1994, he became the head teacher of the same school.
In 1998, he became head teacher of Gombe Secondary School up to 2012. He was transferred to Lubiri Secondary School as head teacher from 2012 to date.
