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Mungere preaches humility, honesty, faith and hardwork
The ‘rescued’ land on which the ADB block was constructed at St. Peters SS, Nsambya. The top floor was constructed by parents after mobilisation from the headteacher Remigio Mubiru Mungere. PHOTOS/OWEN WAGABAZA
What you need to know:
- At St Peter’s SS Nsambya, Remigio Mubiru Mungere is credited for, among others, expanding the school’s physical infrastructure
After graduating from Makerere University with a bachelor’s degree in education, Mr Remigio Mubiru Mungere was posted to Nabisunsa Girls School in 1987 where he served for five years before being promoted to deputy headteacher with a posting to St Mary’s SS Nkozi, a newly established secondary in Mpigi district.
“The school was new and we were beginning from scratch. But it was a big opportunity for me to learn, especially using scarce resources. It is these same skills that I went on to employ in my next deployments,” says Mungere, who is currently the headteacher at St Peter’s SS Nsambya.
After nine years of service at St Mary’s Nkozi, Mungere was promoted to headteacher and posted to St Kizito Secondary School in Luwero District. According to Mungere, the school was on the verge of total collapse.
“I found St Kizito in a very sorry state, with only 70 students in 2001. It had become renowned for indiscipline and was one of the worst-performing schools in the area at the time. To many, the school was dead and buried,” says Mungere.
With nowhere to start, Mungere had to get a starting point, and he zeroed in on discipline.
“You cannot attain anything without discipline in a school setting,” says Mungere, adding, “It becomes hard to attract new students, it distorts the much-needed positive school climate and it becomes hard to foster academic achievement.”
Determined to turn around the school, Mungere took the bold step and expelled 30 students who failed to abide by the school’s new strict code of conduct. Left with 40 students, Mungere’s rebuilding process started to take shape.
“We also ensured that all the key stakeholders are on board. Together with my staff, we invited the parents and informed them about the changes in the school. Rebranded, the school gradually started attracting new students, we started posting good grades, worked on the infrastructure, and soon, the school was growing in all its domains,” says Mungere.
By 2013, when Mungere was transferred after 12 years at the helm, St Kizito had grown into an academic giant, with an enrollment of up to 1300 students and a vibrant boarding section of over 800 students.
St Peters SS Nsambya
In 2013, Mungere was posted to St Peter’s SS Nsambya as a headteacher and immediately embarked on a plan to transform the school into one of the best schools in the country. “The school was not doing badly, but it had a lot of space for improvements,” says Mungere.
Unlike St. Kizito where he had to start from zero, Mungere says, there was a foundation at St Peter’s and his immediate task was to mold the school into a role model school.
“We identified the key focus areas and these included infrastructure development, discipline, academic excellence, and grooming holistic citizens and that is what has guided us since,” Mungere explains.
To achieve the set targets, Mungere started by working on improving the school’s academic performance.
“We have over time, invested heavily in ensuring that our students excel academically in the national examinations. This has been achieved by putting in place the necessary infrastructure such as well-equipped laboratories, a fully stocked library, as well as a well-motivated teaching staff. Our students are also well fed which keeps them healthy, enabling them to fully concentrate on their academic duties,” Mungere explains.
In the 2023 UCE UNEB exams, St Peters SS Nsambya registered 138 first grades and was ranked the 59th best school in the country.
According to Mungere, St Peters Nsambya is a science-oriented school, and efforts towards science excellence are fully supported. “Interestingly, all the science departments are led by women, and these have immense love for their subjects. They are very good team players, do timely reporting, and work well with other teachers,” says Mungere.
Mungere is also credited for expanding the school’s physical infrastructure.
Remigio Mubiru Mungere
In 2014, St. Peters SS Nsambya was one of the schools in the country chosen by the government to benefit from the African Development Bank (ADB) Phase IV funding. Here, the government with support from the African Development Bank was to construct fully furnished classrooms/ laboratories for a select group of schools.
Unfortunately for St Peters, the school lacked space and it was on the verge of missing out on the “golden opportunity”.
Rescuing land
“Our land had been taken by squatters, but working with support from the board, Mungere reclaimed up to half an acre of the school land from the squatters. With space sorted, construction of a one-storied block under the ADB project started. Had he not rescued that land, the school was going to miss out on the ADB IV building,” Mr Anthony Lubowa, the vice chairman Board of Governors explains.
With a single-storey ADB block in place, Mungere through the Parents and Teachers Association and the School Board convinced the parents to add another floor to the ADB single-storied block. His idea was adopted, and the floor was added.
“The ADB block has since given the school a facelift as well as providing more space for classrooms. The block currently houses six classrooms and six fully equipped science laboratories,” Lubowa adds.
According to Mr Joel Mugisha, a deputy headteacher at the school, Mungere has also worked on the general appearance of the school. “He has worked on the pathways and has maintained the old buildings, most notably the white house, an iconic building at the school. He has also procured a brand new school bus and generator for the school. The school has become attractive that currently, we turn away students due to space,” Mugisha says. The school currently has an enrollment of over 2,000 students, from 1,300 in 2013.
“He is also someone who doesn’t take anything for granted, shares his vision with colleagues, is very considerate, very supportive, and one who empowers you to fully implement a school programme whenever delegated,” Mugisha adds.
Mr Simon Peter Ssakansavu, the deputy in charge of administration and human resources says that Mungere has ensured that the vision and mission of the school is well explained to all the stakeholders and this has helped the entire group to move in one direction. “He also prioritises the wellbeing of the students and the staff as well. For the staff for example, he is always encouraging us to take on development activities beyond the school and as such, he has greatly supported the school SACCO,” says Ssakansavu.
With the school located in the city centre, and attracting students from all backgrounds, discipline has been prioritized. “Wherever I have been, I try to instill in my students the values of humility, honesty, faith, and hard work. And these help them to remain grounded and focused on the common goal,” says Mungere.
Mungere has also ensured that the school remains rooted in the community and this is done by participating in community activities, caring for the needy, community cleaning, support of religious activities among others.
