NABUMALI HIGH SCHOOL 1912 - 1989 . FOREWARD

This pamphlet Is Intended to trace the development of NabumaU Higb School, from a small Mission School to the present Hlgb SChool. The first part deals mainly with hUssionary activi­ ties at Nabumall (Mpumudde) which means I bave rested. ' The second part concentrates mainly on the growth of the ooliool, after it was transfered from Mvule or Higb School to the present fully fledged institution..

For "iq.formatlon. the autbo~ Is e"ndebted to Mzee Kauke (Buwa~81) and pioneer old boy of Nabumal1. Mr. George Mudebo. Mrs Naoma Aryada. Mr. Christopher Wetaya. Mr. S. M. Wsstkye (Headmaster NabumaU High School, and Mr. Ph1Uppi. W. F.

I wish also to thank Han. Prof. Wangusa Tim (or reading through the pamphlet. HoD.. Catherine A1asaba Wafana. Engineers Mwasa. and Makweta for assisting to see tbat the pamphlet was printed, and lastly Diocese Communications Centre for assisting to type and print ~be pompblet at sbort notice.

J. H. MUshiratah

NABUMALI HIGH SCHOOL 1912 - 1989

In 1900, Kakungulu reached Masaba and built a fort at Mpumudde, which is present day Nabumall. Mpumudde is a Lugancla term which means, "I have rested." KakunguLu was welcomed by Baglsu around. They thought that he would soon go away. When they

Bishop Hanlon left Masaba on around 14th December 1900. Rev, Crabtree arrived on 21st December. 1900. Rev. Crabtree wa s a linguist who had wanted to establish a mission In Kavirondo. Kavirondo was quite a large area which covered much of present day Western Kenya. Bukedit Buglsu. Teso. Lango and Acholi. Crabtree had come to visit his friend Kakungulu in North Busoga. When he failed to flnd him there. he followed him up to Nabumall. Crabtree had been sent out by the C. M. S. in London to carry out the work of Llnguistic translations. When he reached Mengo, Bishop Tucker refused to let him carry out the work for which he had been sent out. Bishop Tucker instead sent him to Gayaza to work under two lady 'Missionaries to sell books and keep Church accounts.

4 helped to remove the oLd sus;plcions.

Bishop Tucker assisted Purvis with Cunds which enabled him to build a Church in 1904. This Churph could accomodate about 400 people.

By 1906, there were about 50 boys and 10 girls receivIng regular instructions in the school. The actual teaching was done by Alexander Ukula who had accompanied Kakungulu. Purvis continued with tbe work of translation. When he left Masaba in April 1907, he had completed a Lumasaba Grammar, s Dictionary. Service book with hymns. parts of the prayer book, a Catechism and a reading book.

Purvis was responsible for the Construction of his first brick house. This served as t he Headmaster's House until 1934. He snd Balubullu built the first brick church which is now the main buildlng of the Day Primary School. T he boys' school was between the present Library and the pupper class- room block. The dispensary was at the present out- door kitchen. The house for women teachers and boarder s was south of tbe kltcben. possibly around the Pbyslcs/ Agricu1ture Lab. The house for the Second European Missionary was around the present house of the Vicar of Nabumali Parish. 1;he house for Lady Missionaries ' was opposite the present rehabilitation Centre of the BUnd. The Church was on the present NabumaU Day Primary SChool site. Tbe football pitcb was tbe present day girls netball field.

In November 1905, Mr. Walter Holden and Miss Eltul Pilgrim arrived at Masaba station. Mr. Walter was to take care of the boys' school and Miss Pilgrim was to take care of the girls' school, and to work among the women and girls, and to develop tbe dispensary because sbe was a qualified nurse.

In 1907, Rev. Purvis was sent back to England because of black water fever. Between 1905 and 19~ , there were 45 boys. and 25 girls attending school.

In 19M, there were 50 boys, 10 girls. 9 teachers

7 and 10,000 seedlings of coffee ready for transplanting. By 1915, a timber plantation had been established. The boys were also pro· duclng all the food requirements. Because of lack of finance from Mengo, Rev. Banks was ins­ tructed to make the school self-rellant. By 1917, the school was [acing financial problems. The, price of coffee had fallen (rom 5 pence to 2! pence per pound. Even the 2.000 pounds produced by the school could not be bought. The Rubber Scheme had Called. The food produced was only enough to sustain the students, but not pay teachers' salaries. However, the situation was being contained and It looks like Mbale Higb School would have continued but Cor the drought of ,191S-1919, and the famine which forced the school to move to Nabuma1i. Rev. Banks fell in love wIth Agnes MorrIs and they got married on 11 / 12(1915 In 1915, Rev. Banks obtained a new African Headmaster from Budo Nasanaeri Gavamukulya. Rev. J. E. M. Hannigton the son. of the late Hannington was instructed to start a teacher training school at :Mbale to reduce rell.ance on Buganda and Busoga for supply of teachers. By December 1916, there ' were 20 junior teachers training for their first CertifI­ cate in teaching. 10 March 1918. this College was closed because of famine and was re-opened at Nabumal1 in 1920 as part of the educational work, and it was moved to Buwalasl in 1933. In May 1916" Tito Mutale joined Mbate High Sohool as the new African Headmaster. . In August 1917 Rev. S.B. Latham took over the school as HIM when Rev. Banks was on leave. There were over 70 pupils. Luganda was the language of instruction. Some of the first years in the .school were spent on learnIng the language. 3 hours a day were spent on agriculture, and doing their own work, for example • food production, sanitation. PupUs attended the Mbale Church for service. In the morning on Sundays, and had school service In the evening. Between 1917 and 1919, there was a shortage of teachers be­ cause some were transfered and some went on leave. Between the second half of 1917 and first half of 1918, NabumaU Mbale area was in the hands of only two men, Rev. Latham and Rev. Bakabye who ~d just been ordained.

9 -Nyondo road, around the late Busiku's house, or the present site of Nabumalt Senior Secondary Scbool. This school began with only 10 women pupil teacb.ers. In 1931. there were 60 girls from Buglsu. Teso. Budama, Bunyole and Bugwere. By this Ume, the girls had to do an entrance examination which comprised of simple arithmetic, sewing, handwork. hygiene, plus reading. , In 1923, a .kindergarten was started at the girls' boarding • school In 1932, the training school was lransfered to Kabwangasl because it was believed that tbe area on which it was situated at NabumaU was narrow. T he facilities which were left were incor­ • porated with the Girls Boardlng School which was across the road the present day . Boarding Primary School. This h.ad been estab­ lished in 1928. This school was {or the whole Diocese. Luganda was the language of instruction here. T heso girls wer e boarders and they paid boarding lees. In 1928, the lirst government grant was released lor the schoo l and Miss Hutb. Pavey took over the Girls' School as a sepa­ rate institution. In 1928. Mrs Kitching laid the. foundation stone lor the Bo;don Dormitory. In 1931. she was replaced. by Miss Enid Good. In both schools . religion. hygiene. health and practical agri­ culture were emphasised. The boys in the school and the teacher trainees used to cultivate foddcrops lrom 6.20 a. m. to 8.00 a. m. during the regular 5 days of the week. Each student was a lso a located a plot to cater lor during his spare time and prizes were g iven for the best plots. From 2.00 p. m. to 3.00 p. m .• it was handwork. This was In accordance with the American Model which aimed at produc ing students who could control and improve on their environment. This system gave a blas to Agrlc Bnd technical subjects. It was the opposite of tile English system which wanted to train a select leadership class. When Mathers le ft Nabu mali Hig h School on a furlough 1924- 1925 the schoo l wa s headed by Rev. Oillstone who a lso completed the bulldlng of the Nabumal1 Pari s h Church and it was consecrated in 1926 . Rev. A. W. Wheeler took over lrom Rev. Dillstone only for a short time because he was SOOn a llocated to High SchooL

10 So Rev. H.G. Mitton took over, His period as Headmaster was. however, short because of bis daughter's Hlness. He was again replaced by Rev. Matbers and Wbeeler. Here there was a succes­ sion oC headship after a short time. The same shortcoming was offset by an African Starr of E. Tomusange. Erisa Kab1rl. Ignatia Manyoro, Buyera and Kavulu. Rev. C. M. Potts took over beadship from Rev. Wheeler. By 1928 there was yet a teacher lrainlng college on the same campus with the Grade C or normal school. This was a grade A Teacher Training Programme. The students also attended the normal classes. In 1928, 11 boys from NabumaU passed the King's College Budo Senior entrance examination. Yaslya Wafula the Headboy was the best in the whole of and received a Budo scholarship, The others (rom NabumaU went for further training in Tech­ nical School for Carpentary, Masonary, or Veterinary at Entebbe. Others were employed 8S interpreters in offices in 8 number of districts. At the end of 1933, NabumaU site had the Boys High School and the Girls Boarding School, and some dispensary work direoted by Miss Ritson. In 1929, Rev. Cbarles took over the administra­ tion of the High SChool when Rev. Potts left. Rev. Charles was the first C. M. S. Missionary to be aided by the government. The govern­ ment paid part of his salary. travel expenses, ' and outfit. Under Cbarles, the boys on roU were 100, divided into seven classes and he taught tbem all subjects. In Term I of 1930, the boys were divi­ ded into three dormltorles-Hannlngton, Aggrey, and Crabtree. Charles resigned In 1931 and he was replaced by Rev. J. L. Turney in May of the same year. Turney was allocated to Gu lu and lert Naburnall after less than a year. He was succeeded by Rev.E. B. Bull 1932-1933. During Bull's headship, Nabumali was established as a leading academic Institution In the Diocese. During the same period a junior secondary school section was started and the whole of t he ~ 1931 m class was admitted to this sectlon. ~ In 1933, Bull ruled that students coming to Nabumall High School must' be young on8S, becaus8 he had noted that the big ones lowered standards. The big boys of 15-16 years were put into t he "shell" class. They were destined to work 8S clerks, join technical scl~ISJ and Buwalasl normal school. Many of these big boys just

12 I have mentioned that between 1923 and 1933, there was a succession of 10 headmasters. This me&IlS that each one of them stayed (or a relatively short period. Because of these . frequent changes of Headmasters, Naburnall couLd not have acquired a character and a bIgh reputation it has today. So Rev. A.P. Bottomit;'y Is highly credited (or the expansion, development and the high repu­ tation Nabumali Higb School has today - second to none. In the first case, Canon Bottomley made NabumaU a self-governlng insti­ tution from a Church controlled school in 1944. Nabumali became a school which produced academicians, rather than Artisans. During his period. The same period saw Nabumali became a co-educa­ tional institution 10 1939. Otherwise earHer on, t be girls' school was independent under Miss Foster Smith and the boys' school under Its respective headmasters. and even during tbe early years of Rev. Bottomley. 1955. Nabumall Higb School became the first school in the country to be serv~d with electricity. 1956. Canon Bottomley had a bore-hoie drilled at Nabumali High School. This saved the students from the problem of having to fetch water from the villages. 1957. Bubulo became annex: of Nabumali. She acquired the status of a girls' junior secondary school, producing girls for Nabumali High School, and other schools. Between 1950 and 1960 was Canon Bottomley's period of cons$:ruction and expansion of the school. Between 1955 and 1956 the lower and .upper classroom blocks were buUt. During the same yesrs the old girls host~l (tbe present dispensary, bis,tory department, Englisb department and games department block was built. This was another important step in the bistory of the school because the girls moved from the present Boarding Primary SChool to the present site. They continued attendlng classes; and eating together with t be boys.. perhaps the more important aspect of this Bame issue Is that the number of girls admitted to Nabumal1 High School increased from tbe u'sual two per class to about seven. Among other buildings constructed during the same period were tbe new Aggrey and Crabtree buildings. Tbe Swimming Pool was also made/ during Canon Bottomley's period. Tbe same period witnessed the construction of a nUlnb,:: of teachers' ~uses ' - AI,AIl, AlII B2 and B3.

14 When Air . Wareham left Nabumall Higb School in 1972.He was succeeded by Mr. KaJoro Solomon. Mr. Kajor o was very religious and given the opportunity. be wouLd have prefered every member of staff to be equally religious. This Is to his credit because this spirit kept a high seDse of discipline whlcb continued to up lift the good name and the standards of the school. Wben Mr. Kajoro left Nabumall. be was replaced by Mr. A. K. Namisl - 1979 to July 1981. Mr, Nam isl was certainly a dle­ pHnarlan. He insisted on things be log done the proper way . and students a l so benavtng the proper way. This again helped to main­ tain t he good Image of the school. Mr. A. K. Namisl set up t be school far m as a feal ure which can be seen even today. Mr. Namis! was succeeded by Mr. S. M. Waslkye who has kept the school running up to t he pr escnt day. His has been a period of Ha rd T imes. He has. ' however. under tbese difficult conditions had a small dormitory the "A ll Saints room" completed for the girls. Under his administration still, a piggery and a poultry Unit bave been set up. Three more water bore-boles have been drilled in t hE! sChool, to enBlre that student s don't roam the villages looking for drinking water. The fenCing of t he school, using thorn trees Is a lao under progress. When t his is completed, the school may have anotber· appearance, and the academic standards may be perfected. He bas. above a ll continued to maintain a higb sense of discipline . upllft the acade­ mic standar ds of t he schoo l.