A woman’s power of determination

Frustrated by the lack of fees, Rukiah Naluwugge did not initially get tertiary education but owing to her resilience, she is now a graduate school teacher at Kyabbuuza Primary School in Lyantonde Town and Lyantonde District Chairperson of UNATU (Uganda National Teachers Union).
“I look back at the beginning of my career with a lot of disbelief,” she recounts. “I had to leave school because my parents could no longer raise the tuition fees. I would be sent out of school on a Monday but I would go back on Wednesday without any money under the assumption that the administration had temporarily forgotten about my case only to be sent

away again. My father was not just short of money, he was also a debtor hiding from his creditors that included money lending institutions,” she recalls.
Naluwugge dropped out of Senior Five at Gombe Secondary School where she was studying Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics. She settled for the less costly Wampeewo Ntake Secondary School but was still sent away due to lack of school fees.

She only returned to do her final A-level exams, scoring a mere five points which hardly qualified her to join any institution of higher learning. She was, however, determined to further her education. She got a job as an apprentice teacher of Biology, Chemistry and Physics in two secondary schools in Kampala but she abandoned the jobs due to poor pay and returned to her home town of Lyantonde in 2000.

“My father who was a trader in second-hand clothes always tried his level best to take all of us to the best schools. He had two wives and 16 children and a time came when he could not keep all of us in school,” remembers Naluwugge who attended St Elizabeth Kyamaganda Day and Boarding Primary School, and Kako Primary School before going to St Theresa Girls Secondary School Bwanda, where she scored 17 points in her O-level exams and was admitted to Gombe SS.

When she returned to Lyantonde, she assisted her younger sister, Yudaya Ssanyu, whose health was failing with running her kiosk selling foodstuffs such as chapatti, fried cassava, mandazi, soft drinks and other items. Yudaya too had a baby. Later Yudaya died and I took over responsibility of the kiosk and her baby.”
Just before the 2001 elections she applied to work as an elections presiding officer. “It was during the interview for the post that Mr Moses Ali who was by then Lyantonde Councilor at Rakai District Council told me that he thought I was fit to be recruited as a ‘licensed primary school teacher’ in the district and later to be trained under the TDMS (Teacher Development and Management System).

I was recruited as a licensed primary school teacher at Kalama Primary School. During the day when I went to teach, I would leave the kiosk under the care of my younger sister, Hajara Nantale. Later, Hajara passed away too and I had to give up the kiosk and concentrate on my teacher training programme. Under TDMS, Naluwugge underwent training at Ndegeya Core Primary Teachers College during the holidays. After three years, she obtained her Grade III Teachers’ Certificate and was transferred to Kyewanula Primary School. Later she became headmistress of Kabetemere Primary School and was elected treasurer of Rakai Youth Council.

“I worked as a Senga (senior lady) at the school advising children about avoiding HIV infection with guidance from Salama Shield Foundation, an HIV/Aids research project in Lyantonde District. At the same time, I registered with Kampala International University for a Diploma in Education (Special Needs) which I completed in 2011.”

She is grateful to her husband Yasin Mujuzi to whom she got married in 2007 who supported her pursuit of further education. She began her Arazak Enterprises business with just one sewing machine. “I joined a savings group comprising of 26 teachers with each member contributing Shs100, 000 every month. It is an efficient way of saving because every month, two members take home Shs1, 300,000 each. The savings have helped me to get more sewing machines and to purchase a plot of land in Lyantonde Town.

I have also been able to pay tuition for my Bachelor’s degree in Education (Special Needs) from Kampala International University. The business brings in a lot more money than my teaching job.”
Naluwugge and her husband, a taxi driver, now live in their own house which doubles as her business premises.

Naluwugge’s education journey
Having trained under the Teacher Development and Management System (TDMS) at Ndegeya Core Primary Teachers College during the holidays, she obtained her Grade III Teachers’ Certificate and later a Bachelor’s Degree in Education (Special Needs) from Kampala International University. She is Lyantonde District Chairperson of UNATU (Uganda National Teachers Union)