Centenary High School
The doors to Centenary opened in 1998 with 20 students and two classrooms. The campus has grown in size to accommodate more than 650 students and includes not only classrooms, but dormitories, a new science building, a main hall which is also a government approved testing site, a library, computer center and sewing room.
Today this school is a success story rating amongst the top high schools in the area and scoring high marks in the Ugandan Examination Board testing at the end of the 4th and 6th years of high school. Many students have achieved a result that would allow them to enter university.
In 2006, Centenary ranked 178 of 2400 schools on the National O(Ordinary) Level tests; in 2007 it achieved the rank of 56 of 2400 schools. Prior to ECHOES support, nearly every child enrolled in each school paid tuition at one time or another. Today many of them are AIDS orphans. Many other students are now from single parent or single guardian homes, paying a fraction of the usual fees. The combination of these student populations creates challenges in the day to day operation of the schools. Teachers often forgo their monthly salaries. Several are actually sponsoring non family students in the schools on their small salaries.
Despite the challenges, Centenary High School is able to house, feed and clothe many of their students who cannot make their fees. Sustaining this non-paying population requires generous contributions of many. Through the generosity of individual donors, new classrooms and dormitories are under construction to meet the ever increasing demands.
Students cannot learn on empty stomachs. By supporting students with your donations for daily meals, you are giving them the opportunity to be able to concentrate and learn.
Dances to entertain the visitors. Drama, singing and dance particularly emphasizing their cultural heritage is all part of the school curriculum
Students carry the mathematics class outside
Scholarship Program
Although the governments of Africa are committed to providing no-fee Universal Primary Education (UPE) in response to the United Nations mandate, the practicality of doing so is proving impossible. With scant resources at their disposal many countries are unprepared to meet the needs of the millions of children who have flooded the system. Countries like Uganda are finding themselves playing catch-up. The implementation of UPE in Uganda (and Sub-Saharan Africa at large) usually means 100 children per classroom. Teachers are not only over-burdened but also in short supply and often poorly trained.
Proud team members and coach outside the school
In reality, public schools are in chaos. For families who are determined to give their children a quality education it is necessary to locate a private school and pay for the opportunity. Fees may not be high by Western standards, but how do you pay to educate an average family with six children on the average annual wage of $300? It is an unattainable dream for many. Add to this the challenge of AIDS and disease, of hunger, and the necessity for many families to live under one roof in order to survive. Living in Africa today is difficult indeed. Most know that education is the only way toward a brighter future. But how can families afford it?
The ECHOES Scholarship Programs provide children the opportunity of a lifetime-- an education. In the U.S, we may sometimes take our education for granted, but for Ugandans it is a means to survival, and a chance to get ahead in the world.
For the children of Uganda, their education is the one thing, maybe the only thing that can never be taken away from them. For the children of Uganda, it is the gift of HOPE.
Annual School Cost for one Secondary Student:
Secondary 1 to Secondary 6 : $210.00 (USD) Includes tuition, uniform with shoes and socks, paper, textbooks, examination fees, sports and technical training fees for three terms or one year.
Secondary School Tuition and Board: $400.00 (USD) Includes all of the above plus boarding fees and three meals a day for the three terms.
Being able to board at the schools often eliminates an hour to two hours of walking each way to their homes. It also allows them to participate in after school tutorials with the staff who either live at the school or very close by.
School Costs Per Teacher:
Yearly Teacher Salary: $1320.00 (USD) This represents the average teacher salary for one year. Teachers are paid approximately $110.00 (USD) per month.