Layibi college soldiered on during LRA war

Disbanding trade courses
Despite government disbanding purely trade courses in 1964, by 1984, a strong lobby had seen to a reversal of the policy order and an upgrade of the college to a Uganda Technical College (UTC) to offer Diplomas in Civil Engineering besides secondary school education. This was however short lived as the project was ceased in 1988 and Layibi reverted to an academic college but technical subjects remained compulsory at O-Level.

Layibi is driven by a culture of the excellence, an aspiration portrayed by two graphic statues on the east and west wings of the school forecourt. Deputy Headmaster Alex Onen explains, “No student at Layibi gets anything on a silver platter. This means our students must play by the rules to be protected and not left exposed to danger or failure.”

Students were warned not to be swept away the ‘Monsoon wind’ or academic liquidation which pressured and instilled in student’s mental and physical force, self-drive, the spirit of hard work, and commitment to excellence. Layibi’s Ben Okot Kiwanuka, now an engineer with National Housing, topped national honours at O-Level exams in 1981.

But today, the new USE policy of mass admission and where no one fails and all pass mocks the ruthless reputation of Layibi. The lenient policy allows room for compassionate dismissal, based not only on dull results but also indiscipline. Sluggish students unable to cope with even the relaxed environment are no longer forced down a class lower, neither ordered to repeat nor swept off the school by the ruthless Monsoon.

Excellence in engineering
A-Level classes were introduced in 1975, offering Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and appended Technical Drawing (TD) as a Principal Subjects, and added Woodwork, and Metalwork as Subsidiaries keeping the schools tradition of focusing on science and technical subjects.
The majority excelled to join civil and mechanical engineering, survey, and architecture courses at Kymbogo Polytechnic and Makerere University. While others opted for National Teachers College Kyambogo to qualify as TD, Woodwork and Metalwork teachers to supply techno-academic schools, including St Edward Bukumi.

For the same reason, earlier day graduates from northern Uganda were predominantly engineers, and technical subject teachers, with a good number groomed at Layibi. Notable are Engineer Paito Obote, and Chief Civil Structural Construction Engineer Okello Nokrach of National Housing and Construction Corporation, Chief Draftsman Christopher Orach of Ministry of Housing.

Latter day engineers include Engineer Christopher Ebal of The Judiciary, and Benedict Okana who supervised World Bank-funded Namuwongo low-cost housing project in Kampala. Several other engineers are in industrial establishments. Layibi also had several pharmacists, and doctors, including Dr Felix Kaducu, a Senior Lecturer and Administrator at the Faculty Medicine at Gulu University.

But Layibi also had odd ball non-scientists, including DA Okullo, an Assistant Commissioner of Prisons Gulu, High Court judge Anup Singh Choudry, besides Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah, Advocates Okidi Ladwar, and Olaa Peter (RIP), and several peers, most groomed at Dr Obote College Boroboro before Layibi gradually introduced A-Level Sciences and Arts between 1980 and 1993.

However, this was more an oddity than the norm of a school purposely slanted to sciences.
Layibi has remained the star of Northern Uganda in games and sports, winning the national Basketball Championships in 1978. The Deputy Headmaster’s office boasts a full trophy chest of athletics, football, volleyball, and basketball awards, with yet another room spared for more basketball, and athletics prizes.

Sports personalities
Eminent sports personalities from Layibi include former national sprinters Bitoga William, Pascal Ddramiga and Daniel Ddramiga, whose sporting talents won them scholarships to USA.
Traditions at Layibi die hard. Imprints of the Vatican are visible in the school. Christian principles and values define the college. Paintings and statues that liter the compounds send the message of the bond, THE Cross and Lilly plant make the school badge. The school motto: Melius Atque Utilius spells out the school’s principles, which challenges every student to strive to achieve better and useful things for themselves and country.

Layibi’s fortunes dropped during 20 years of war in Northern Uganda. The school had 39 of its students abducted by the LRA but all returned alive. Soon, the premises were turned into a military base between 1987 and 1988 and the school was forced to relocate to Clinical Officers Training School and amalgamated with all secondary schools in Gulu under Layibi Headmaster Marcelino Okullo.
Ironically, Layibi’s best years under a Black headmaster were during Mr Okullo’s leadership between 1986 and 2006. He re-introduced the old culture of mental and physical force, self-drive, the spirit of hard work, and commitment to excellence.

In 1987, he had only 03 of 120 O-Level candidates in Grade One, he raised this to 30, then 40, and then to 70 and peaked at 104 in Grade One. The Clarion, the school magazine founded in 1964, was also revived after several years in limbo.

Upgrade
Today, Layibi is picking top-drawer exams results again, ironically at A-Level. The college was upgraded to a Comprehensive Secondary School in 2001, and tapped as a Centre for Excellence by the Ministry of Education and Sports in 2008.

Again, thanks to the education ministry and American charity Invisible Children, magnificent retouches have been given to the dormitories, classroom blocks, woodwork and metal workshops, art and craft, agriculture, and computer laboratories, ablutions and waterworks.

cap: Above: Students revise in the serene school compound at St. Joseph’s College, Layibi. Below: A statue depicting the hard work and the bounty of the kill. Photos BY Otim lucima

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Layibi college through the years

1953. Founded as a technical school by Verona Fathers also known as Comboni Fathers with annual intake of 60 students for Motor Vehicle Mechanics, Carpentry, and Bricklaying.
1959 & 1962. Apprenticeship courses were added to prepare more skilled workers.
1962. Government replaced Technical courses with Academic Subjects.
1964. Purely technical courses were stopped, leaving only Technical Drawing, Woodwork, and metalwork.
1975. A-Level introduced with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Technical Drawing as Principal Subjects, and Metalwork, Woodwork, and General Paper as Subsidiary Subjects.
1984. It was upgraded to a Uganda Technical College (UTC) offering Diploma in Civil Engineering. But secondary school section remained operating from S1 to S6.
1988 UTC Layibi together with several in the country were phased out.
1987& 1988, forced relocate to Clinical Officers Training School in Gulu town and amalgamated with all secondary schools in Gulu under Marcelino Okullo as headmaster.
1988. 39 students abducted by LRA but all returned alive.
2008. Earmarked as Centre for Excellence by the Ministry of Education and Sports.
2012. Upgraded to a Comprehensive Secondary School.