Is Namagunga Primary and Boarding School Simply Milking Parents Dry?

Hard to believe I know, but when I was much younger, I regularly used to go to church. All Saint’s was my chosen church – not because it was easy to get to or that the person at the pulpit gave the most amazing sermons. Then – the late 70s and 80s, it was said that all the ‘well brought’ up girls who supposedly went to the good and prim schools like Gayaza and Namagunga and came from the ‘right and proper families’ prayed at All Saints. Except, when we grew up, we found out that those ‘well brought up girls’ were not at all well brought up, but girls who had been rather risqué in their teens.

All Saints Church, Nakasero

In my five or six years as a regular at All Saints, I had difficulty coming to terms with giving offertory. If that was not bad enough, there was also the need to part with money for the building fund. Of the money that my parents gave me for offertory and building fund, one weekend I would support the building fund. The following week I would give offertory. The third weekend I gave nothing and the last weekend I would split the offertory in half – half went to the building fund and the other half to offertory. And I would pocket the entire building fund.

Since my time at All Saint’s, I have failed to see where all my contributions to the building fund have gone. The pews that they use today, I am sure are the same pews I used sit on as a teen back in the 70s and 80s. To the best of my knowledge, the only development I have seen at All Saints in the past 30 years plus are, a coat of paint because a member of the first family was getting married, a number of wall-mounted speakers, some plastic chairs and a tent just off the main entrance. As for the nursery school, that has hardly changed at all.

Days ago, I chanced upon a letter from one of the great Ugandan traditional schools – Namagunga Primary School, to a parent and congratulating them on their daughter being accepted and for her to report to school on Saturday 4^th February but, only after meeting the school requirements.

Has Namagunga Lost Interest In Education And Is Just A Cash Cow?

The requirements that Parent has to meet before Daughter is admitted are laid bare – almost like a receipt Teller gives you at Shoprite after you have done the weekly shopping – except that at the end of Namagunga’s ‘receipt’ which bears 19 requirements, there is no TIN or VAT number but, an email address – namagungapbs@yahoo.com.

In today’s world, who still has a yahoo e-mail account? Secondly, a school of Namagunga’s status should have by now have an e-mail address that reads: namagungapb@administration.co.ug – if they want to come off as looking professional and whose vision it is to “produce a holistic citizen through quality education.”

Getting back to the list of requirements, it reads something along these lines.

• School fees at sh1,165,000 is straightforward enough. 
• There is sh350,000 for Development Fee. What is that? 
• 50k for Foundation Body Fee. Again, what is that? 
• 100k for Swimming Pool. What does this mean? They want to build a pool or…. 
• And what’s all this nonsense of Class Requirements at 50k? What exactly are those requirements?
• There is a ream of paper at 20k, bucket at 20k, club fee at 10k and the list goes on and on and on.

The Circular That Namagunga Sends Parents 

With all these ‘demands’ placed on Parent, it very conceivable that this list of requirements before admission will get longer each term. What will they ask for next – kitchen utensils at 150k? Fuel for school bus at 200K? or perhaps 200k for airtime and WhatsApp data for Headmistress? 

 

Letter To New Vision From An Irate Parent

Pictures: newslexpoint.com, namagungapbs.com, New Vision

        

        

          

M7s Galamba To Birembo Trek - The Exclusive Inside Story

Does anybody remember the line from the 1994 movie – Forest Gump, when Jenny Curran (Robin Wright) shouts out to Forest: “Run Forest, Run?” Closer to home, The Man In A Hat, decided to pull off that scene though nobody shouted out: “Run The Man In A Hat, Run.” A few weeks ago, The Man In A Hat spent a week wandering from some place called Galamba down to Birembo. According to those in the know, he was reliving the trek he did during the height of his bush war struggles in the 80s which, culminated in him seizing power on this day – 34 years ago.

The Man In A Hat In A Cream AIRFLOW Hat

But the trek is not the crux of this Sunday’s ramble. One thing about The Man In A Hat, is that fashion bores him. It’s not his forte even though, his daughter – Natasha is a fashion designer and who I am told is in charge of his wardrobe at State House. He is more comfortable in army fatigues and un-tucked shirts than he is in an Egyptian cotton shirt or a fine tailored Italian suit. And when it comes to hats, I’ve never seen him in a baseball cap with say ‘NY’ on it, but he has three favorites. A faded green beret, a green army hat with flaps that cover his ears and a cream AIRFLOW hat. For the trek, he opted for the green army hat with flaps that cover his ears. 

M7 Just Loves The Hat With Ear Flaps

Has Anybody Ever Seen M7 In A Baseball Cap?

The Beret - Another Favourite Of M7

When it comes to shoes he is not particular. He doesn’t wear fashionable shoes like Dr Martin Aliker’s and procured from Jermyn Street in London - a street that holds court to stylish and classic bespoke shoe makers like Crockett and Jones, Russel and Bromley or Barker Shoes. Rather, his are nerdy and probably stitched by some 18-year-old Bata trainee with glasses as thick as a magnifying glass. He’s into boots – army boots at that, and he has two that he likes best – canvas and almost knee high if not, black leather ones. But it’s the leather boots that he likes most though for the trek, he opted for the canvas boots. 

M7 Seemingly Can't Do Without The Green Canvas Boots

However, and like one of my close friends – JLM always tells me, sometimes there is ‘need to confuse the enemy’ and he did just that for on two occasions during the trek, he wore and wait for it, wait for it, sneakers! They were black with white soles and while I tried to zoom into the picture to see what brand they were – Jordan’s, Nike, Reebok or Adidas, it was hard to tell.

Did M7 Wear Adidas Sneakers For The Trek? 

Assuming the sneakers were Adidas, the nearest Adidas store to State House Nakasero is on Kampala Road opposite Post Office and I am sure he doesn’t know that nor has he heard of the brand either. He most probably told Aide to get walking shoes and in this case, Aide must have picked up Chinese ones as all army gear and boots are seemingly supplied by them.

M7 Needs Some Footwear Swagg

The most important factor about the trek, was that – as if following in the peripherals of his security detail, the bazzukulu and those who jumped on the bandwagon for ‘just’, was an unmarked bullion van that hoarded countless numbers of brown envelopes filled with cash. As is the norm, whenever The Man In A Hat travels, he travels with wads of cash.

Is M7 The CEO of Bank of Brown Envelope?

What I can’t figure out, is who at State House decides how much goes into each envelope. I assume there must be a minimum – probably 500k? But wait up. Whenever he puts his arm out for an envelope, and he sees me, I swear he whispers to Aide: “Hmm, that muleebesi TB again. If I have to give him an envelope, make sure you give me the 20k envelope.”

M7, so you know, I can lip read whatever you tell Aide about me.


Pictures: newvision.co.ug, Daily Monitor, Adidas, AIRFLOW, New York Caps