Bro Tamale, retired but not tired

In 2021, Bro Herman Tamale retired from public service after 30 years of teaching, the final 11 spent as a headteacher at Ibanda Secondary School.
Yet, four months later, Bro Tamale was called out of retirement by his superiors; Brothers of Christian Instruction, to come and do what he knows best; teach.

“Brothers are like soldiers, we don’t question authority. If you are deployed anywhere, you just pack your things and go,”Bro Tamale explains.
Back into service, Bro Tamale was first posted to La minneis High School, Rakai where he served for two years until June this year when he joined Uganda Martyrs High School Lubaga in Kampala.

Born in Nkokonjeru, in Mukono district, Bro Tamale had his Primary Education at at Nkokonjeru Primary School in 1976 before joining Bishops’ Senior Secondary School Mukono for his O-Levels. I later joined the prostate at Kisubi for three years graduating in 1984 as a fully-fledged religious (Brother who has taken vows).

He was later posted to St Charles Lwanga Kasasa as a teacher, teaching Christian Religious Education. However, the church was at the time moving towards self-reliance and Bro Tamale was among those zeroed on to play a role in the church’s efforts at self-reliance, and was recommended to join Barack Agricultural College in Kenya, for a course in animal biosecurity and production for two years. The college is affiliated to Egerton University.

On completing the agricultural course, Bro Tamale was posted to Mugwanya Preparatory School to manage the school farm. He managed the farm for two years, before again being recommended for a teacher training course at Mubende National Teachers College from where he graduated with a Diploma in education, majoring in agriculture and biology. Immediately, Bro Tamale was posted by the government to Bukukula Girls School in 1994.

“Because St Charles Lwanga was by then a private school owned by the Brothers of Christian Instruction, and was close to Bukukula, I stayed in Kasasa, from where I would ride my bicycle to Bukukula Girls School,” Bro Tamale remembers.

At Kasasa, he was given extra assignments, teach biology on a part time basis and managing the school’s expansive farm, stocked with over 150 Friesian cows.
“When I was made the farm manager, I gave the farm my all. I was passionate and committed and we grew the farm’s milk production to 500 litres of milk daily from about 150 litres. My personal policy is that whenever am entrusted with anything, I give it my all with a goal of leaving it better than I found it,” Bro Tamale says.

In 1997, Bro Tamale joined the Institute of Teachers Education Kyambogo for a bachelor’s degree in education, offered by Makerere University. In the same year, he was posted to Ibanda Secondary School in Ibanda District.

Ibanda SS

At Ibanda SS, he started off as a classroom teacher and grew through the ranks, rising to head teacher in 2010.
At the time he joined the school, Ibanda SS had a culture of strikes, but working closely with the team, the situation was calmed and greatly reduced on their occurrences.

“I also worked closely with the team to improve the academic performance as well as the students’ welfare and these resultantly led to an improvement in school enrollment. We at one time rose to 1,050 students in 2013 from the 500 students that I had inherited. The school could not manage the numbers
because of inadequate facilities. And we reduced the number to a manageable 900 which we maintained throughout my time there,” Bro Tamale explains.

He also expanded on the A-level classes by encouraging the school’s best UCE students to stay and have their A-levels at the school, introduced small class parents meetings which gave parents more opportunities to talk and express themselves and these interactions proved crucial, and gradually, the parents attitude towards the school changed and they started owning and embracing the school.
In the same vein, Bro Tamale brought back the old students. Prior, the alumni did not want to associate with the school.

“They have since set up a very strong and active alumni association and have worked on a number of projects, notably construction of the basketball court, and the introduction of bursaries to the best O-level students and Laptops to the best A-level students. Seeing the alumni do all this is something I really cherish,” he says with a smile.

In his 11 years as the head teacher, Bro Tamale also purchased a school bus for the school which greatly improved on the school brand and visibility. He renovated the school infrastructure most especially classrooms and dormitories, fenced the school and built a 15 room Brothers quarters. He constructed three boreholes to solve the water challenge.

I also lobbied and the school was selected among those that benefited from the ADB project.The project had a mainhall, administration block, as well as a well stocked science and computer laboratory.I also planted a 10 acre banana plantation to supplement on the school’s feeding menu.

Uganda Martyrs High School Lubaga 

In June this year, Bro Tamale was transferred to Uganda Martyrs High School Lubaga, a private school owned by the Brothers of Christian Instruction. And according to the Bro, the school has opportunities for growth and challenges in equal measure.
“The school has over the years been blessed with hardworking, dedicated and industrious men as headteachers, and these have used their God-given talents to take the school to the next level,” he says.

Among the plans he has for the school is to improve on the school’s drainage system, complete the storied boys dormitory that was started by his predecessor, and promote and maintain the culture of the sports especially football.
According to the deputy headteacher, Mr John Kalule, Bro Tamale is a resourceful person, a man of action and developmental.
 
“He has been around for less than six months but has already undertaken a number of infrastructural projects, which is quite unusual,” Mr Kalule says.

Mr Peter Nsubuga, the dean for O-level says Bro Tamale is humble man who puts aside his seniority and expertise to mingle with everybody.
“He loves assigning people tasks, and being new to the community, he listens to advice and takes it in good faith. He is a diplomat, down to earth, respectful of everyone and going by his seniority, we don’t take that for granted,” Mr Nsubuga says.