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Sebei college: The school that gave Uganda Kiprotich
The main signpost of Sebei College in Kapchorwa (L) and London 2012. Olympic marathon Gold medal winner Stephen Kiprotich also an officer in the Uganda Prisons Service. Photos by David Mafabi and Agencies
What you need to know:
Sebei College. Tucked away in foothills of Mount Elgon, Sebei college has suffered its fair share that schools in its mold have faced over the last 50 years of post independence Uganda, a chronic inadequate funding.
On a rainy day from a distance, an early morning mist blurs you from seeing clearly Sebei College, Tegeres. But when the mist clears, it makes the school’s beautiful gate visible.
The school is located along Mbale-Sironko-Kapchorwa high way in Tigeres hills. Set on the slopes of Mt. Elgon, the scenery is spectacular, surrounded by lush greenery and winding valleys, just about 6Km away from Mt Elgon national park.
Abbreviated by students as SECT, Sebei college, Tegeres perhaps the oldest government school in Sebei sub-region [Kapchorwa, Bukwo and Kween districts] started as a Junior school under then Kapchorwa County in Bugisu district local government and Sabiny community in 1956.
It is a mixed day and boarding secondary school that stood out in the 1980s as an academic giant in the sub-region, it is therefore no wonder that every highly placed Sabiny will point at SECT as his centre of excellency. But the school like any other in the country started going down academically in the 1990s todate.
The headmaster, Mr. Stephen Musobo says the good news is that although the academic performance has been fluctuating since 2000, it is generally on an upward trend, registering 37 first grades in Senior Four in 2011 and sending about 8 students to Makerere university.
Years of glory
According to Mzeei George Willian Cheborion SECT was founded in 1956 by the local government to educate the marginalised children of Sebei, a cattle-keeping nomadic tribe that did not value education.
“The colonial government expected the Sabiny to move from Bukwo to Nabongo for lessons and never thought about opening up a school for the Sabiny. So one Bugisu district council where Sebei belonged as a county, I demanded for a school to the level of even beating up one councilor who was against my demand so after this fight, the colonial government gave us this school,” said Mr Cheborion.
He said until 1990, it was an academic powerhouse in the east and was always among the top 20 schools in the national examinations at both O and A’levels. Mr Isa Bukose, an old student of SECT who worked as a director of studies at the school said they had qualified teachers, a well-stocked library and well-equipped laboratories. Because of its good performance, it attracted the best students in the country.
“It is the poor funding and turmoil that characterized most secondary schools in the country in the 1970s through to the 1980s and the 1990s, that also affected Sebei College Tegeres to the level that getting a single student in first division became impossible,” said Mr Bukose.
Under the Motto: We strive for excellence, SECT has been and is training responsible, knowledgeable and patriotic citizens in the line with President Museveni’s new programme for all secondary school teachers and students with quality in put for quality output.
“We teach both academics and life skills through counseling and guidance with great emphasis on discipline in order to produce an all round person to develop Uganda in the near future,” says Sam Cheptoris, the LCV chairman for Kapchorwa and also former headmaster Sebei college Tegeres.
As if fulfilling the dream of the founders, SECT products have from time to time occupied key positions in politics, civil service and academia in the post independence and contemporary Uganda.
The school promoted critical and independent thinking through debates on African politics and colonialism which took centre stage at post independence and contemporary Uganda to enviable position of being the only school that produces national athletes for Uganda.
The headmaster Mr Musobo says SECT started with 38 students in senior one and four students joining from junior secondary two and junior secondary three respectively.
It had a handful of one white teacher, one classroom block, and a mud and wattle staff room until later in the early 1970s that it gained more classrooms from first IDA project.
Mr Musobo revealed that teaches all sciences and Arts for both Ordinary level and Advanced level with agriculture, commerce, Literature, Fine Art, Kiswahili and Christian Religious Education as the optional subjects “In S.1, every students is expected to take 15 subjects,” adds Mr Musobo.
The school boasts of a total of 1066 students with 735 boys and 331 girls being looked after by a teaching staff of 45 teachers with a fees structure of Shs230, 000 for continuing students while new comers for S.1 and S.5 pay Shs310,000.
The school offers facilities like Library, Laboratories for science subjects, Electricity, sports and games facilities, main hall that acts as a stage for drama shows and in-door games and 4 acre land turned into a school farm for students agricultural demonstration.
“Hard work, discipline and dedication on the side of my teachers and students has enabled the school’s academic candle to continue lighting in this region. Thanks should also go to the parents for paying fees in time to enable the students have enough time for concentration, they have contributed greatly,” says Mr Musobo.
He revealed that the school in bid to improve standards at the school, holds internal workshops for teachers to improve teaching methods by external examiners and workshops, seminars, continual testing for students to enhance the learning process.
Co-Curricular activities:
The school has football team, volley team, Netball team, Basket ball and table tennis as the games in the school and every students is expected to participate. And in football the school boasts of holding the football trophies for three consecutive years.
In athletics, the school for the last four years has had the best performance in athletics winning medals and shields at the district, region, national and international levels.
Farming
While most up-country schools have large tracts of land lying idle, SECT, has put the school land to optimum use. Instead of waiting for government support, the school has established a dairy farm of about 50 cows that provides milk to the teachers and sometimes students.
They also have 20 acres of land with bananas, maize and other crops to supplement the students’ and staff food. Another eight acres is under eucalyptus trees, used for firewood and making furniture.
Future Plans:
According to Mr Musobo the school intends to build dormitories for the increasing number of students, a library and laboratories to enhance teaching and learning.
“The new administration at SECT seems to be on the road to recovery. From the administration block to the laboratories to the classrooms, Sebei College looks new and attractive but our appeal is that the old boys and girls should come on board to help the school regain its past glory as an academic giant in the sub-region,” said Mr Musobo.
Perhaps inspired by Gold winning athletes like Mr Stephen Kiptorich, an Old boy of the school who won Gold for Uganda in London Olympics after 40 years of waiting, the students at the school now exhibit, braveness, courage and fierceness in their life endeavors.
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Prominent OBs and OGS
Dr John Boyo--United Nations
Mr Elifasi Muwanga-Makerere University
Dr Ibrahim Musobo--working in Rwanda
Mr Kibale Wamimbi--former MP and district chairman Sironko
Ms Beatrice Chelangat--ED REACH
Bishop Augustine Salimo-Sebei diocese
Sam Cheptoris--current district chairman Sironko
AIP Stephen Kiprotich--Olympics Gold Medal winner London 2012
Mr Mike Cheptoek-Sironko District Education Officer
