How Mengo SS’ mega projects are raising bar in education standards

Mengo Senior School holds many unique attributes in Uganda’s education sector.

As the oldest school in the country, it is also the most populous and just a few weeks ago, consolidated itself as the country’s best performer at A-level. This may seem overwhelming until you learn about the school’s long-term ambitions.

Last week on April 17, the school rolled into motion celebrations to mark 130 years with a fundraising drive for a mega Shs 18bn, nine-storied facility to addresses feeding, fitness and finesse challenges amongst learners.

When completed in 36 months, the facility will not only set Mengo aside from other institutions, it will also produce well-rounded leaders of the future, writes DUNSTAN MUKALAZI & DEVON SSUUBI.

Mengo SS head teacher Nantagya Grace Ssebanakitta may be a calm and collected individual but he is on a mission to create a lasting legacy at the traditional school. He is confident that in the next 36 months, Mengo will have a state-of-the-art multipurpose dining facility that will transform Uganda’s approach to the education sector.

At the fundraising dinner, it was evident that many in attendance, mostly Mengo old boys and girls, educationists and religious leaders, expected an abstract plan about the project. This is a common scenario where schools literally beg for donations.

On the contrary, it took many by surprise when Nantagya stated that the school has already injected Shs 1 billion to kickstart the works, which are at the foundation stage.

“We need about Shs 18 billion to complete the project. We may not have it now but we believe we shall be able to put up this project in the record time of three years, which explains why you and I are here,” he said.

To complete the project, Nantagya is hopeful the school will receive enough contribution from government, friends, church and fellow head teachers and old students in the diaspora.

According to Nantagya, whereas the facility is the signature project for the 130 years, the underlying purpose is to churn out well-rounded learners with the capacity of positively impacting the nation.

“We believe that in the future, today’s generation will be the one to do for us great things. What we are doing is to provide them with the baseline.”

On his part, Dr Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu, the Church of Uganda archbishop, encouraged attendees to embrace the act of giving generously just like the biblical Mary Magdalene.

Kampala state minister Kabuye Kyofatogabye, also an old student of Mengo SS, commended Nantagya for his tremendous work of nurturing tomorrow’s leaders. The fundraiser raised more than Shs 300 million in pledges and cash, with much more expected within the coming months.

In fact, to celebrate 130 years, Mengo SS has lined up a number of activities, which include a marathon in July as well as the actual festivities later in August.

STATE-OF-THE-ART DINING HALL

For years, there has been a well-held notion that traditional boarding schools hold the agenda for Uganda’s education sector. Mengo, a day school, has always stood out as the exception by not only competing favourably with these schools academically, but also matching them in innovations and project deliveries.

At the moment, Mengo’s student population of almost 7,000 learners, is technically the biggest in the country yet when it comes to performance, the school has consistently performed above its weight.

Now, they want to go a notch higher with the multi-phased signature project of a state-of-the-art dining hall. This facility will be a 4,000-seater for mostly learners during lunch time.

Nantagya admits that due to the ever-increasing student population in Mengo SS, the current dining hall is overwhelmed.

“It was created to accommodate about 600 learners, but the current student population is 6,900. So, students dine in shifts and this wastes valuable time,” he says.

“Quite often, I join and dine with the students at lunchtime to ensure a smooth flow of operations. Whereas I have never complained about the quality of the food, feeding everyone within an hour remains a big challenge.”

According to Nantagya, the school is putting up this facility to ensure that the learners do not need to line up for food.

“We are already doing so well in the other fields of academics, co-curricular activities and innovations. We want also to use the dining hall to inculcate modern dining etiquette for learners.”

“Our students always end up working in corporate offices where people sit down and eat well. We do not want them to continue having a mentality of eating under trees. So, we seek to train them early in proper dining etiquette,” he says.

OTHER AMENITIES

Apart from the dining hall, the facility will also have a fitness centre, sanitary facilities, conference hall as well as an ICT laboratory, among others.

“The new secondary school curriculum makes physical education compulsory; so, we want to have a very big gym that will accommodate our learners. It will be the first of its kind in the country,” he says.

At the moment, construction work is actually already underway at foundation level, with the basement expected to be finished within a few weeks. This proposed raised basement will have the kitchen and canteens. It will also accommodate parking for the school lorry and the bus. This is like music to Nantagya’s ears.

“I am greatly inspired by our school theme for this year, which comes from Ephesians 2:10. I mean, we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. So, there is not any other way we can demonstrate that theme than take up such ambitious projects,” he says.

“The people who started this school in 1895 had a big vision and we are still fitting into that. We must hand over a better school to the incoming generation. So that’s our drive. A few decades ago, the school administrators used to plan for about 600 learners. Things have changed. Today, we are now thinking for a Mengo SS of 10,000 learners within the next four years. That is our strategic plan. And you cannot think of 10,000 learners when you are putting up small projects.”

ACADEMIC DOMINANCE

Over the past decade or so, Mengo has re-emerged to position itself among the crème de la crème of Uganda’s academic excellence. In fact, Mengo won the top spot in the 2024 A-level results.

They had the most students (232) scoring As in their principal subjects. This achievement solidifies the school’s position as the best-performing school in the country. Nantagya attributes this to several years of laying foundations.

“Some decades ago, we may not have been amongst the top 20 academic performers in the country but I must tell you, the foundation was being laid at that time. We are like a car-production company. You cannot jump from a Mercedes-Benz of the 1990s to the one today. There are so many other models in-between. So, past leaderships laid the foundation us to build on,” he says.

According to Nantagya, Mengo SS is already looking to strengthen its linkages with reputable universities in the UK, India and Turkey, among others, to expose its students about other professional careers beyond popular Ugandan courses such as medicine, law and engineering.

“Due to these linkages, many students have actually realized quality education that actually affordable,” he says.

INFLUENCE OF THE CHAPEL

Meanwhile, Nantagya says he has heard some people criticise the school’s decision to have an in-house chapel.

“I can I tell you, when our learners go to the chapel, they attain a mindset shift, a paradigm shift so to say. People don’t know what the chapel does to our learners. It transforms their mindset, concentration and focus to put God first before any life challenges,” he says.

TRANSFORMATION IN CLASSROOM TEACHING

One of the hidden gems in Mengo’s renaissance is the school’s approach to teaching. At Mengo, the school is moving away from the traditional black/ chalkboards to fit classrooms with interactive smart boards.

“We are removing the chalkboard. Actually, by the end of next year, all classes will have smart boards. We are even moving away from the projectors. By the end of second term, we shall have half of our classes fitted with smart boards,” says Nantagya.

“Today, learners are studying about industrialization, getting information from direct sources locally and abroad. Students even get the chance to interview farmers in real time for pragmatic answers.”

Meanwhile, it is also worth noting that all Mengo SS classes are fitted with high-definition closed-circuit cameras (CCTV).

“The cameras capture everyone’s voice in the room and send reports to the respective dean’s office; so, the deans can monitor what’s going on in classes, both visually and audially. This ensures accountability on behalf of the teachers and the students.”

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