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37 graduate at Rainbow International Academy
A student is congratulated after graduating last week. Looking on are parents and guests at the ceremony. Photo by Edgar R. Batte Jr.
To many schools career guidance is a decision that purely should lie with the students and perhaps their parents yet a student hardly stay two full months at home. The schools where the students spend more time are therefore, logically better placed to offer wise counsel in terms of career guidance.
John Toscano, Rainbow International School’s head of secondary, has advice for fellow school heads.
“We have set up a career’s department and if I was to share some advice is to urge their schools to be more involved in promoting careers,” he explains.
He says that Rainbow has two full time career’s teachers.
“Some schools would say that this is a waste of our resources and we should be putting those teachers in the classroom but we realise that the career’s department runs well alongside the rest of the school and promotes the academic work that we are doing,” he argues
He made the remarks while passing A-levels leavers last week. With 37 graduates, represented the largest ‘Year 13’ class in the history of the school. 12 students won themselves international scholarships.
“This year we have been able to get 12 scholarships, awarded to study oversees, in the UK, Canada, USA which is the highest number of scholarships we’ve had in the history of this school,” he said.
“The message that we give is much for the students who are passing through as much as for those students who are leaving. And the message is that we expect very high standards throughout and this year perhaps more than any previous year, we have monitored our A-level students very closely,” said Mr Tascano.
An Old Girl, Maureen Mutabingwas was on hand to also offer some advise to inspire fellow youngsters, “Piece of advice 1: Plans May Change. Fear not. Keep your dream alive. Take advantage of opportunities that present themselves to you.
“They are going to be countless, they are going to be immense, wild, interesting, scary, thought provoking, challenging but you will always have learnt more about yourself and how far you can go. So take advantage of them,” she said.
She added, “one thing I have found invaluable to this day, and especially now being in the working world, is that I have networks and I was able to build relationships with people Mbale Municipality MP Jack Wamanga Wamai, who is also a parent at the school thinks that whereas the country celebrates the fruits of efforts by teachers, they should be paid better.
“The salaries that are paid to teachers are so low that you have heard a number of times teachers going on strikes. Government announced in the budget that it will only increase salaries of science teachers yet all teachers are important, and all subjects are important so it is unfair for government to have increased salaries of only science teachers and leave out our others,” he complained.
Mr Wamanaga-Wamai added, “ that increase of 15 per cent does not cover the requirements of teachers. That salary is still low. Teachers are important and deserve better pay than they are being offered with the high cost of living.”
Ms Rutabingwa urged the graduates not to “ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go and do it. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive.”
