Success is a result of teamwork and commitment, says Kiberu

“A good teacher should be exemplary in whatever he does, and at all times in terms of discipline, dressing, language used in school and outside school and should also observe professional ethics. A good teacher should also be a parent figure, and treat the learners like they were their own children,” says Mr Stanley Kiberu, the head teacher of Sam Iga Memorial College, Maganjo.

Mr Kiberu, who has been teaching for the last 30 years adds that a good teacher should be committed and dedicated.“And that means doing whatever they are supposed to do, notably not dodging lessons, not coming late and always being there whenever required, ready to assist the learners in all ways possible.”

According to Kiberu, a good teacher should also be knowledgeable with a good grasp of the content that they handle.“And they should also be willing to continue learning because you cannot know it all. It is also important that you develop emotional intelligence and be able to control anger. But above all, being God fearing for this comes with embracing a culture of uprightness at all times,” says Kiberu.

Who is Kiberu?Born in Nakasongola to George William Mubiru and Halima Nabwami over 50 years ago, Kiberu graduated from Makerere University in 1994 with Bachelor’s Degree in education, before going for a Masters in education administration, management and planning at Ndejje University.“I started teaching in 1995 in a private school, St Kizito High School Bethany on secondment, a government policy then that allowed government paid teachers to work in private schools,” Kiberu explains.

In 2000, Kiberu was posted to Wakatayi Secondary School before being transferred, in 2010, to Kagurwe SS in Kabasanda where he served until 2016 when he was promoted to deputy head teacher and posted to Mpenja SS. “Here, I served for one year and was appointed acting headteacher at Bujubi SS in Mityana District before being made substantive headteacher in 2019. In 2020, I was appointed headteacher Ndeba SS in Kayunga District and in 2022, I was transferred to Sam Iga Memorial College as the headteacher,” he says.

 Bujubi SSBecause of his work at Mpenja, parents at Bujubi SS rejected the headteacher who had been posted by the government and they instead went for Kiberu to work in acting capacity. And here, he found the school in shambles. Teachers’ attendance was very low, with teachers missing lessons for weeks with no punitive measures undertaken and students were unruly.“I started with a mindset change for teachers, and became strict on indiscipline by putting up punitive measures. 

The parents had lost hope and trust in the school and never minded whether their children went to school or not. I thus organised meetings in their villages to educate them on their responsibilities,” says Kiberu.

“I also opened a war against teenage pregnancy by working closely with the parents to arrest unscrupulous men impregnating these girls and soon, teenage pregnancy greatly reduced. I also introduced compulsory lunch, set up a boarding section and shortly, our academic performance greatly improved with five first grades in two consecutive sittings from the zeros registered previously. Enrollment also greatly improved,” he says.

To save on costs, Kiberu planted eucalyptus trees for timber and firewood, set up a banana plantation, and solicited for a cow with the aim of providing milk to teachers and students in the long run.Ndeeba SSBecause of his performance at Bujubi SS, the Diocese of Mukono identified Kiberu and requested him join one of their schools, Ndeeba SS in Kayunga District. In February 2020, the Ministry posted Kiberu to Ndeeba SS and exactly a month later, schools were closed due to Covid-19.

“I however kept on working, checking on the school weekly and linking up with different stakeholders. Using the government grant given to schools during that time, I constructed a main hall. The school had no main hall and exam time would be tricky as other classes had nowhere to study from,” he says. “I also took advantage of the campaign time and solicited support from politicians.

 And we were supported especially by Mr Amos Lugolobi, the area Member of Parliament and by the time schools reopened, the mainhall was complete. I also started writing proposals to fund other impending projects, most notably to the Japanese embassy who agreed to give us funding for a girls dormitory. I also accessed funding from the district to set up classrooms,” he adds.

Sam Iga memorial school ust like in the other schools, Kiberu was headhunted by Namirembe Diocese because of his works at Ndeeba SS and he took over from the then headteacher who was retiring.“And Sam Iga Memorial has proved to be a very interesting school, with a very cooperative staff, a supportive foundation body and the board. The retiring head teacher had played her role in improving on and transforming the school for the better and am also trying as much to add a brick to her accomplishments,” says Kiberu.

“At the time I joined, I found some pockets of indiscipline including being infiltrated by criminal gangs and this is majorly because of our slummy neighborhood. I quickly set up a strong disciplinary committee and this has been effective in flushing out these criminals from the school confines,” he says.“We have also strengthened the guidance and counseling section so that we talk more with our students especially because of their underprivileged backgrounds and vulnerability. And over time, these have transformed into good and responsible students,” he adds.

According to Ms. Mariah Namukasa, a long-serving teacher at Sam Iga, Kiberu has rejuvenated co-curricular activities which had been phased out completely. “We are now internally doing athletics, football, MDD as well as indoor games like table tennis, chess, volleyball, and wood ball where we compete up to the national level,” says Namukasa.

“And he has strengthened other clubs, notably debating, patriotism, scouts and health clubs which has helped us to link up with the community. Here, we clean and donate to needy communities enabling our children to develop empathy, kindness and generosity,” she says.Mr. Kigundu Collins, the deputy head teacher in charge of academics says Kiberu is a very good administrator, innovative, frugal and hardworking and the school is in safe hands. 

“He has introduced a number of measures to improve academics with the most notable being motivation of both teachers and students.“He introduced prizes to motivate the learners, notably a motorcycle to the best performing student in both UCE and UACE and cash prizes to those with over 18 points in UACE and 8-10 aggregates in UCE and the results are unbelievable. In 2023, we jumped from 26 first grades in 2021 to 54 in 2022 and 76 in 2023 with 8, 9 and 10 aggregates while in A-level, the best had 17 at A-levels in 2022 and 19 points in 2023 and more three had 18 points,” Mr Kigundu explains.

“He has also worked on the water challenge by digging an underground well and purchasing three water tanks and he has purchased a generator to ensure that the school is powered at all times including the school machines. He has also purchased land to expand the school and he has equipped the computer lab with more computers and the library with the necessary literature,” Kigundu adds.Kiberu attributes his success to hard work, team work, transparency, respect for everyone and commitment and dedication.

 “I don’t remember ever missing a lesson for a single day when I am well and healthy, and am always committed to my work 100 percent,” says Kiberu. 

2022

The year Kiberu joined Sam Iga Memorial after he was headhunted by Namirembe Diocese because of his works at Ndeeba SS. He took over from the then headteacher who was retiring. “And Sam Iga Memorial has proved to be a very interesting school, with a very cooperative staff, a supportive foundation body and the board. The retiring head teacher had played her role in improving on and transforming the school for the better and am also trying as much to add a brick to her accomplishments,” says Kiberu.

AT A GLANCE

Kibibi Central College Prior, in 1998, Kiberu started a school, Kibibi Central College as a young classroom teacher and it remains one of his biggest achievements. “I started the school with around Shs600,000. The school is still standing up to now and doing well under the circumstances. Though I was still a young man, I was able to sustain the school, maintain high levels of discipline and academics,” he says. Mpenja SS “Because of my roles as the director at Kibibi Central College, I commanded respect and had the confidence and experience required to run a school. I therefore worked closely with the headteacher and together, we ensured that teachers attended lessons and prioritized discipline among students. The head teacher trusted me and many a time, I would regularly chair meetings and the school moved on smoothly even in his absence,” Kiberu explains