St Joseph’s College Ombaci celebrates 75th anniversary
One of the finest schools in West Nile sub-region will today begin a week of celebrations to mark its 75th anniversary. Activities to mark the anniversary of St Joseph’s College Ombaci were launched on March 24 which in Church calendar is St Joseph’s day. The climax of the celebrations will take place on Saturday, October 6.
St Joseph’s College Ombaci was established in 1943 as a technical school.
According to Mr Charles Ondoga, head teacher of Ombaci, the guest of honour at the celebrations will be the minister of Education and Sports, Ms Janet Museveni. Bishop Sabino Ocan Odoki of Arua Diocese will lead a thanksgiving mass to bless the special occasion.
Ombaci, a historical perspective
St Joseph’s College Ombaci, a Catholic Church-founded institution, was started by Italian Comboni missionaries in 1943, initially as a technical school for World War II veterans.
The first head teacher of the school was Father Pietro Simoncelli. In 1960 Ombaci and Mvara were converted into secondary schools and the first head teacher of Ombaci Senior Secondary School was Father Marco Lino Mich who was popularly called Father Micky. Under Father Mich, Ombaci excelled and in the 1970s and 1980s was among the top five schools in Uganda.
The school’s distinguished alumni are testimony to Ombaci of the good old days and they include, Dr Gabriel Ajedra Aridru (State minister of Finance in charge of General Duties), Bernard Atiku (Ayivu County MP), Mr Johnson Amayo (deputy managing director, NWSC), Dr William Worodria (consultant, Mulago hospital), Alex Onzima (State minister, Vice President’s Office), Moses Angundru (Terego West MP), Tabu Butagira (MPL editor), Father Ruffino Ezama (parish priest in USA) and Alfred Andima Oyo (ministry of science and technology). Ombaci has lived up to its school motto, “Primus Inter Pares,” i.e. “First among equals”.
The Ugandan civil war of 1979 to 1981 had disastrous consequences for West Nile which drastically affected academic standards at Ombaci. It took many years for Ombaci to rise from the ashes and begin to shine again.
Much of the credit goes to my friend and regular reader of this column, Mr Andrew Tumwesige who was head teacher from 2012 to 2017. Last year Ombaci excelled once again in both UCE and UACE.
Challenges of Ombaci
Ombaci has not yet recovered from the tragic events which devastated West Nile in the 1980s exemplified by the “Ombaci massacre” of 1981.
Located at the centre of the school is a mass grave of 97 victims of a massacre committed on June 24, 1981, by unruly soldiers of the Uganda National Liberation Army, one of the most notorious and undisciplined forces in the history of Uganda.
The story of the Ombaci massacre is too gruesome and too painful to narrate here when the school is celebrating a happy occasion. May the Lord have mercy on all who perished at Ombaci and may their souls rest in eternal peace.
Ombaci faces three challenges. First, school infrastructure built by Italian missionaries in 1940s and 1950s urgently needs rehabilitation and renovation. This includes classrooms, dormitories and teachers’ quarters.
Comboni missionaries, parents and OBs have done some work which is appreciated, but a lot remains to be done.
Second, for a school with almost 800 students, Ombaci has only 50 teachers, instead of 65, which is the ideal. Of the 50 teachers, government pays salaries for 34. Sixteen teachers are paid from school fees. I appeal to government to put all Ombaci teachers on government payroll.
Third, Ombaci needs guaranteed funding to sustain the school and improve the quality of education and services offered to students. I am advised that government provided a once-for-all grant of Shs2.8 billion in 2013 which is appreciated.
Parents and well-wishers of Omabci would, however, like to request government to make an annual subvention to Ombaci to maintain minimum standards at the school whose contribution towards Uganda’s human resource development is enormous and self-evident.
A master plan for Ombaci is under preparation. I hope it will receive maximum support from parents, OBs and government when it’s ready. I wish students, teachers, parents and OBs of Ombaci happy celebrations. Ombaci shall rise and regain its past glory!
Mr Acemah is a political scientist and retired career diplomat.
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