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Ex-Butiki head teacher eulogised for outstanding education legacy
John Richard Isabirye, former head teacher of Kiira College Butiki.
What you need to know:
- The late Isabirye was a teacher at Butiki between 1973 and 1975, deputy head teacher from 1975 to 1981, and head teacher between 1981 and 2001.
The late headmaster of Kiira College, Butiki, John Richard Isabirye, has been credited for churning out many professionals from the Busoga Sub-region during his two-decade tenure at the Jinja-based school.
He reportedly passed on at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital at the weekend. Kiira College Butiki Old Boys’ Association (Kicoba), in a statement yesterday, said they were in shock after learning of the untimely death of their former student, teacher, deputy headmaster, and headmaster.
“The late Isabirye will be remembered as an astute, kind and understanding administrator, who took Kiira College to the heights of the academic ladder, not only in the eastern region but in the country. He will be remembered as an academic icon in Busoga and the country at large that championed in every humble way access to secondary school education among the poor irrespective of origin,” the statement dated May 19 read in part.
After news of Isabirye’s death reverberated across Busoga Sub-region and the country, tributes started filtering through. What seemed certain was that he helped many needy students to access education.
The chairperson of directors of private schools in Busoga, Mr Swaibu Kitezala, described the deceased as a very good head teacher, most importantly as one who helped many poor people in the sub-region.
“He developed education in Busoga by making it affordable, and many professionals passed through his hands because he was lenient on school fees. We used to quote him on two memorable statements. When a parent asked for more time to clear fees, he would write, ‘allowed to stay in school up to a certain date’, and ‘the school has no money’,” Mr Kitezala said.
Mr Kitezala, who was at Kiira College Butiki for Advanced Level between 1989 and 1991, said he was a beneficiary of the late Isabirye’s leniency.
Dr Joel Isabirye, an old boy of the school and lecturer at Kampala International University, described the deceased as ‘very approachable’ and ‘understanding’.
“He enabled many students to study without paying fees upfront. He also paid fees for needy students,” he said.
The late Isabirye was a teacher at Butiki between 1973 and 1975, deputy head teacher from 1975 to 1981, and head teacher between 1981 and 2001.
