How technology has changed school life

Over the years, I have heard a number of stories of people’s secondary school days.
Irrespective of the school one attended, there were always cliques organised around the students’ social order.
Students in higher classes commanded more respect and the prefectorial body came in second.
Some students were popular because they either had a unique skill, were crazy smart, rich or exceptionally good looking.
These and more memories filled my mind recently as I found myself in my former school.
Having stepped into the school gate, I expected to spot the buildings easily and follow the leader, but I was still unable to tell who was who.
“Yes, I do remember in my school days too A-Level students loomed large in the school. We feared them. But here, the students interact with each other freely irrespective of the grade,” Ms Harriet Kabonesa, the dean of students at Vienna College, reveals.
As I follow a group of chatty, confident and energetic students back to their dormitory where I am going to spend the night, I realise that school life has evolved over time, in many ways. It is not long before I find out why.
The earlier alluded to social classes have been broken down by technology.
During my days, students always used the period between evening classes and evening prep catching up with each other.
While here, I find out that the students dedicate this period to their phones, tablets and laptops.
As soon as the students enter their dormitories, each one reaches for their phones which will determine when they will be able to do other chores.
If their battery is down, the student chooses to have a shower first while charging their phone because they have just about four hours of Wi-Fi to update their social media accounts and catch up with what has trended the whole day.
Social media seems to have replaced real human interactions. This explains the absence of noise and laughter that characterises adolescent and teenage gatherings.
The atmosphere is jovial and there is energy of positivity and creativity as the students are focused on making the most of their few hours of free Wi-Fi.
“Students are allowed to use their phones only in their dormitories. This is to make sure that they are not a source of distraction for them, like it would be, but actually help them communicate and learn other skills such as making short videos, photography and editing,” Ms Susan Nuwatamba, the school’s spokesperson explains.
“Allowing them keep mobile phones and giving them free, regulated Wi-Fi removes the temptation to sneak them in. Not only does it break the routine of sitting at their desks, but it also inspires their creativity,” Ms Nuwatamba adds.
“Knowing your way around technology is key in our lives. This could be the difference between a fulfilling career or a life of struggle. Many of us are interested in becoming more than consumers of technology. We want to find ways of adding value to it. This is here to stay, it is only smart to adapt and possibly learn to make the most of it,” says Kiara, a year 12 student, who has agreed to show me around.
One of the things that stressed me most during my high school days was shower time. The bathrooms always seemed too full and quite messy, having been used by girls with differing hygiene standards. Knowing the right time to use the bathroom was, therefore, an important learned skill.
In fact, finding oneself on bathroom duty was the worst form of punishment.
It is therefore, a pleasant surprise when I discover that the bathroom stalls at Vienna College are not only free, but they also have hot running water powered by solar energy.
“The girls shower at different times since they have different activities after school. For instance, some will have sports after class and will, therefore be the last ones in the bathroom, which reduces the traffic,” Ms Evelyne Agoso, the school’s senior lady, explains.
Another big aspect of my high school days was dressing up and looking good. These students though have taken the art to another level. There is a profound need for everyone to look their best not just for themselves, but for their virtual family. This turns the dress up mirror areas into some form of dressing room for runway models as outfits are tried on and discarded with increasing frustration or appreciation.
After the struggle to find the right outfit, the next step is choosing the perfect hairstyle to match.
Many students here seem to prefer to wear braids which are low maintenance and easy to style.
Looking at all the fuss the girls go through was like entering another world that is also vaguely familiar.
When I was in high school, nothing seemed more important. It seemed like the climax of life was finding that perfect outfit without looking as if you were trying too hard.
I think the feeling has not changed much. When in high school, everything seems important. Every friendship, every enemy, every insult, every class, everything seems so much bigger than it actually is.
You do not realise that until later, when you gain perspective. So to these students, nailing that perfect look that will get them likes on social media is a big deal. I was also pleasantly surprised that unlike my time, the girls even the young 8th and 9th graders have invested in quality body splashes and deodorants, thus controlling body odour problems.
“We encourage every student to have a deodorant of some form and body shavers for their grooming purposes,” Ms Agoso remarks when I congratulate her on the absence of body odour in a group of so many young girls.

Dudes, do not eat all that
One of my most persistent feelings through school was hunger. I always felt famished no matter how much I ate. But come to think of it, I avoided school food because it was always, putting it politely, tasteless.
I am, therefore, reluctant when I am told it is time for dinner. But I cannot stay in the dorm on end since no one is allowed to be there at that time.
I am impressed at how organised the dining area which students refer to as the Thatch, is. Tonight’s menu has rice, Irish potatoes served either with fresh beans or gravy. You do not need to carry a plate or cutlery, everything is offered by the catering service. As I take my seat next to 11th graders, I notice that no one is finishing their food, which was not much.
I ask my guide, Kiara, an 11th grader why this is so. “It isbecause it is not cool to eat all that. But also most people have cereal and snacks after classes so by the time they come to dinner, they are already almost full,” she informs me.

When did they get so mature?
The main thing I notice this time is the incredible gap in maturity, both emotional and physical. You identify both within seconds. Walking the same hallways, side-by-side, are boys and girls that could pass for adults. The fact that they dress up and act like adults compounds the problem.
These 14-year-old boys and girls have the bodies of men and women and the minds of children.
Listening to their conversations, one would blithely comment on the latest diet and look every bit the adult and in the same breath turn to her friend and observe how a cloud looks like a cute dog.

Prep time
Teachers are generally more relaxed in their approach to students and in return the students treat them with respect. Evening prep starts at 7pm, but by that time, a big number of students have already crossed over to class. But just like a typical school, there are some pockets that will want to break the rules and thus choose to linger over dinner and sit on class verandahs, completely ignoring the fact that they are supposed to be in the classroom. It is, therefore, a combined effort of teachers to get these pockets into classes and make sure they stay in there. On this day, however, I empathized with the students, who keep sneaking into the administration block to take in the Uganda-Zimbabwe match that is being shown live on Dstv.
During prep, students are majorly left to do private revision, but sometimes a teacher is available to tutor them in particular subjects. “We put the emphasis on providing them with support that enables them to learn at their own pace. It is not a secret that many students become frustrated and stressed with the high demands of their classes, our aim is to lessen that pressure,” Ms Harriet Kabonesa, the dean of students, says.
At 9pm, prep ends and we troop back to the dormitory where students are free to watch whatever they want on TV. Surprisingly, on this night, there are just a handful of students in the TV room watching the movie; Game night on Dstv. Kiara says the girls would rather use the time to prepare their uniforms for the following day than watch TV. “How mature of them. Would I have chosen to forego TV time in order to iron my uniform had I been here? I guess we will never know,” I think to myself. As I enter my bunk bed for the night, I remember thinking high school was so big when I was there. For six years, it was my world and it seemed like everything. But now, looking at it from outside, everything seems impossibly small and trivial.