In a space of two years, Mr Kirungi has been able to build a storeyed classroom block among other infrastructural developments at St Charles Lwanga SS Bukerere in Mukono district. PHOTO/ OWEN WAGABAZA
Despite the administrative responsibilities he has begotten over the years, Mr Augustine Kirungi has never ceased teaching physics in the schools he is posted to, a rare trait among top level administrators in schools.
“I have been a teacher since I left university and I have never missed a single year without teaching a candidate class. Despite my very busy schedule, I always create time for class. I respect my learners that when I enter class, I forget about the office,” Mr Kirungi, currently the headteacher of St Charles Lwanga SS Bukerere in Mukono district, says.
According to Mr Kirungi, maintaining his teaching load enables him to lead his team by example. Kirungi’s career journey has seen him work in both prominent and lesser known schools enabling him to appreciate the sector from an informed point of view.
“I started my teaching career at City High School, Kampala from where I joined St Peters SS Nsambya, and later Namilyango College as a deputy headteacher. I was soon promoted to headteacher and posted to St Maurice SS Lwagulwe till 2023 when I was posted to St Charles Lwanga SS Bukerere,” he says.
“Each of these schools have unique settings and as such require different management skills sets to manage the different situations.” An administrator for a bigger part of his teaching career, Kirungi credits the values of hardwork, discipline, teamwork, passion backed with God’s favour as key in his career journey.
Rising through ranks
After four years at City High School where he also headed the physics department, Kirungi was in 2005 posted to St Peters SS Nsambya where he rose through all the ranks, notably head of physics department, head of students’ welfare to Director of Studies and later caretaker deputy headteacher in 2010, a position he served in for four years.
“I worked with visionary and transformative headteachers at St Peters SS Nsambya and together we were able to transform the school into an academic giant. These also groomed and mentored me into the leader I was to become,” he says.
In 2015, he was appointed substantive deputy head teacher and posted to Namilyango College where he soon realised that he was the only deputy headteacher, managing everything from academics to security, welfare, school estate, administration among others. “The then head teachers, Mr Gerald Muguluma and later Mr Constantine Mpuuga gave me a lot of assignments and with their proper guidance and mentorship, I was able to learn a lot of things,” he remembers.
St Morris SS Masaka
In 2018, Mr Kirungi was posted to St Maurice SS Lwagulwe in Masaka District as head teacher. He found the school in a poor shape and immediately embarked on a journey to revamp it.
“I started by sensitising the locals on the need to educate their children and soon learnt that though villagers seem ignorant, when you explain to them something, they take it. I also learnt that even the poorest love good education, because when they learnt that I was from Namilyango (College), they started bringing their children with a lot of trust,” he recalls.
In the same vein, Mr Kirungi established management systems which were absent at the school, rehabilitated the school and greatly improved on the school’s infrastructure by renovating the school buildings and also fenced the school with a live wire fence.
To improve the school’s finances, the educationist successfully lobbied for and was given 25 acres by the parish priest. He set up a banana plantation, maize and beans to support the school on meals. He also planted coffee and eucalyptus trees to supplement the school income as well as a piggery and dairy farm. “With these establishments, we were able to save some good money which we later used to improve the school’s infrastructure as well as meeting the school’s academic needs. Consequently, the school’s academic performance greatly improved and the enrollment doubled from 350 students to over 750 students by the time he left.
St Charles Lwanga SS
In 2023, Mr Kirungi, who holds a Masters in Education Leadership from the University of Ohio in the USA was transferred to St Charles Lwanga SS Bukerere. Here, he started by creating order in the school through establishing administrative structures. “We now have proper leadership structures and everyone knows what is expected of them when they are here at school,” he says. Mr Benjamin Mutebi, the deputy head teacher at the school says Mr Kirungi is a visionary, transformative, result oriented and passionate about his job.
“He has turned the school’s infrastructure upside down. In just the two years he has been here, he has renovated classrooms, bought furniture, expanded and refurbished the library, equipped the computer lab, equipped the science lab with the necessary equipment and has improved on the school’s security by erecting a perimeter wall around the school.
Prior, the school had no fence and students would come in and go, which was dangerous. He has also set up a storied classroom building with support from parents and a five classroom block with support from Mukono Municipal Council,” Mr Mutebi explains.
Mr Kirungi has also constructed modern washrooms for both teachers and students, procured CCTV cameras to improve on the security in the school, and is currently constructing a 2000 seater main hall.
Mr Steven Kagwa, a long-serving teacher at the school, says Mr Kirungi is a team player, developmental and espouses quality education. “He initiated the skilling of learners in different vocations notably electrical installation, fashion and design, plumbing, wielding, building and construction, shoe making, book making among others and in S.3, students sit for DIT exams and are awarded certificates. He is so focused on providing holistic education to his students,” Mr Kagwa says.
Prioritising welfare
Mr Kagwa further credits the headteacher for prioritizing both the students and teachers welfare. “He tripled our transport allowances, and he has also introduced a number of allowances for several tasks and this is motivating teachers to give their all to the cause. Meals served have greatly improved,” Kagwa explains.
Phoebe Angel Aketch, the headgirl, says the headteacher is passionate about co-curricular activities.
“For the two years Mr Kirungi, he has positioned the school as an all-round school, by not only prioritising academics but also co-curricular activities. He has encouraged the formation and revival of so many clubs in the school. He has also introduced a number of games and has supported their growth by procuring the necessary equipments as well as hiring coaches for each of them.
For the first time this year, our school will be representing the district at the regional post-primary football competitions,” she says, As a result of these interventions, the school has in the last two years registered improved academic performance.
In the recently released 2024 UCE UNEB exams, all candidates passed with Result One and it was ranked 219th nationally. In UACE, the best student scored 19 points and it was ranked 161 nationally. Last year, the school was ranked the fifth best USE school in the country by the Ministry of Education and Sports. The school currently boasts of an enrollment of 2,043 students from the 1,380 students that he inherited and a workforce of 123 including 84 teachers from the 58 that he found at the school.
Research
He has turned around the school infrastructure . In just the two years he has been here, he has renovated classrooms, bought furniture, expanded and refurbished the library, equipped the computer lab, equipped the science lab with the necessary equipment and has improved on the school’s security by erecting a perimeter wall around the school.
Prior, the school had no fence and students would come in and go, which was dangerous. He has also set up a storied classroom building with support from parents and a five classroom block with support from Mukono Municipality.
