Old Boys inject Shs800m to save traditional school from collapse

In the heart of Fort Portal City is St. Leo's College Kyegobe, once famous for its academic and sports prowess from the 1980s through the early 2000s, was on the brink of collapse.

However, for the past eight years, a dedicated group of its alumni, known as the Old Boys, has joined forces to give the school a new life by investing approximately Shs800 million.

Preceding the school's revival efforts, St. Leo's College Kyegobe faced a series of challenges, resulting in a steep decline in its academic performance and reputation.

Strikes and academic malpractices engulfed the school and in 2014 led to the cancellation of some of the school's UCE (Uganda Certificate of Education) results. Consequently, disillusioned parents began withdrawing their children from the school, and the school's enrollment plummeted to 195 in 2019.

The school which was founded in 1921 by the White Fathers, is now a government-aided school under the jurisdiction of the Fort Portal Catholic Diocese.

Led by Eng Emmex Turyatunga, the Old Boys in April 2015 embarked on a mission to restore the school's former glory.

"By the time we decided to come on board as OBs, we found that the school enrollment had reduced from 1,000 to 200 students. Since then, the school continued to struggle, but now, eight years after our intervention, the school has regained its lost glory, both in academics and enrollment," he said in an interview with the Monitor on Tuesday.

Mr Turyatunga said that to improve academic performance, the Old Boys initiated a bursary scheme in 2015, and have been sponsoring needy but bright students and have renovated school structures, including dormitories and sports facilities among others.

"In the coming two years, we are expecting the school to have an enrollment of 1,000 students after being ranked as number 51 in the whole country in the 2022 UCE exams," he added.

Mr Trophy Atuhairwe, the school's head teacher, recounted the challenges he faced upon joining the school in 2019, including a debt of over Shs200 million.

“Without the Old Boys' efforts, the school's revival would have been impossible. What the school needs now is additional renovations and the construction of a perimeter wall. Our new strategy now is to improve further in academics to attract more students to join the school,” he said.

Bishop Robert Muhiirwa of Fort Portal Catholic Diocese expressed gratitude for the Old Boys' role in reviving the school through their sponsorship of students from senior one to senior six.

"We are grateful to the Old Boys for the revival of the school, and we pray they continue with that good plan. The school has what it takes to shine again," he said.

Dr Richard Mugahi, an Old Boy said: "We have done our best part, and we now request the government to build other modern infrastructures. This school, with about 600 students, has only 40 computers. The world is going digital, and students need to be digitally equipped."