Plan well for the little that you earn- Ntale

Just minutes into our interview at Ubuntu Hill School, Namulonge, two young men drive in and park near where I and Mr Jonathan Ntale are standing. The men, who I later realise are brothers and guardians to a student are here on invitation by the school’s deputy head teacher for a disciplinary meeting. Their young brother borrowed money from a fellow student, promised to pay after visitation day but later backtracked on his promise.

“There is a girl that I see him with these days and I think that is where the problem is coming from, spending money on her to the extent of borrowing, we need to have a chat with him,” Mr Ntale who had earlier on had a one on one talk with the student in regard to the love affair issue tells the duo.

Unlike many other Directors whose involvement in their schools stop at the high level with top administrators, Ntale is involved in the thick and thin of his school, Ubuntu Hill School and is well known by both students and parents.

“This school has grown to what it is today, partly due to the social capital and professionalism that we have exhibited at our duty stations over the years. Being only involved with the top administration would be a betrayal to a parent who brought his kids because of what he knows about me as a teacher. We are therefore hands on,” Mr Ntale currently a teacher at Kibuli Secondary School and a Co-Director at Ubuntu Hill School explains.

Mr Ntale has been teaching for the last 30 years in mostly Kampala’s two prominent schools, Kawempe Muslim Secondary School where he taught for 17 years and Kibuli SS where he has taught from 2011 to date.

He points to commitment and hard work as key in a teacher’s journey to forging a thriving professional career.

“Commitment is very important for a successful teaching career. Give it your all at your station of work, teach all your lessons, give tests and mark, create time to talk to your students and guide them where necessary and witness the joy of seeing weak students grow into your subject. And most of all, chew what you can swallow, why get a third school when you are already overwhelmed with two schools? This is a big disease among teachers which renders them inefficient and uncommitted, staining their careers. It is important that you give the necessary time to your profession,” Mr Ntale says.

In the same vein, Mr Ntale says patience, perseverance, resilience are high level planning are important for one to grow into a successful teacher.

“There is this belief among teachers that we are poor which is wrong. They are ever looking around for greener pastures, yet the answer is in high level planning of the so-called little money so that you get something out of it. When you plan well and see that the little has grow into something bigger, you feel good. It is therefore important that we exercise patience and some good planning, and I believe this goes to even other professions,” he says

Ubuntu Hill School

Since 2007, Mr Ntale has been running Ubuntu Hill School Namulonge, a school born out of the love he had for his mentor, his former headteacher and supervisor, Haj Ibrahim Matovu.

After his graduation from Makerere University with a bachelor’s degree in education, majoring in biology and chemistry, Mr Ntale joined Kawempe Muslim Secondary School where he met the then headteacher, the legendary educationist 

“He was more like a father to many of us. He treated us like his own, mentored us and many of us naturally found ourselves loving him equally,” Mr Ntale remembers.

In 2003, Haj Matovu was transferred to Kibuli SS and somehow, things didn’t go well initially. And it was at this time that Mr Ntale approached him to start his own school, leveraging on the huge brand name he had built in the education sector over the years.

At the time, Ntale had some savings from his rental houses and teaching job and used these savings to purchase land whose title he transferred into Haj Matovu’s name. 

“I gave the title to Haj Matovu to kickstart the idea I had shared with him of starting his own school with a view that he will refund me later. He was such a towering and father figure to some of us and we felt hurt by the challenges he found himself in at Kibuli SS, and we felt the need to intervene,” Ntale recalls.

But times were a little financially hard on Haj Matovu and he couldn’t embark on the project immediately.

“Fortunately, I had some more savings which I used to start two classroom blocks. Around the same time, Haj Matovu stabilized financially, and rather than take on the project solely, he instead requested me to partner with him in building the school and running it, because initially, I was doing everything for him very well aware that he will refund my money at a later stage,” Ntale says.

Ntale accepted the offer and they pooled funds together as partners and completed three buildings. 

In 2007, Ubuntu Hill School started and they have not looked back. Because Hajji Matovu was very busy with Kibuli SS, he guided that Ntale takes over the day today running of the school which he has done up to now.

In 2011, Mr Ntale was transferred by the Ministry to Kibuli SS, where the then headteacher, Haj Matovu very well aware of his responsibilities at Ubuntu Hill School gave him lighter roles, enabling him to effectively supervise Ubuntu School.

Growth over the years

“We started with 7 students and by the end of the year, we had grown to 37 students. This did not derail us though, we remained focused and kept working hard to see that the school grows to our desired levels. Because we did not have money for commercial media, we did a lot of door to door advertising. I would move with my teachers, and even students from one home to another informing them of a new school in the locality,” he says.

Having been in nationally renowned performing schools, the duo knew what it takes to perform by investing more in teachers, and prioritising students’ well fare.

“We try and recruit some of the best teachers out there and ensure that we offer them a conducive working environment,” Ntale explains. “We have also put emphasis on discipline, we make sure that any black spot is eliminated as soon as possible. We strongly believe that a school cannot grow from one level to another without discipline, good academic performance and good teachers. These have enabled Ubuntu Hill School to grow in all its domains, notably infrastructure, academic performance, human resource, students’ enrolment among others. The school currently boasts of over 1,000 students.

Ms Hajarah Nakabugo, the headteacher at Ubuntu Hill School explains that Mr Ntale is action and results orientated, a mentor, and respectful of everyone. “He is a disciplinarian, prioritises students and teachers welfare and is a father figure to our students here, always talking to them and guiding them here and there. We enjoy his company here at the school,” Ms Nakabugo says.