Uphill Junior School has a clear administrative structure:
As School Director, Elius is assisted by the Headteacher and Bursar and guided by the School Management Committee which is made up of nine Elders from the community who are democratically elected by the parents. We at The Uphill Trust communicate directly and frequently with Elius and he provides regular reports on the progress of the school plus a formal annual School Status Report. Uphill Junior School currently employs 14 staff with teaching/administrative responsibilities. A School Nurse will be added in 2018.
Most of the children who attend the school are from poor rural homes and this poverty, along with the devastating effect of HIV/AIDS, means that a significant number are either orphans or from single parent families.
Where is Uphill Junior School?
Fees have been set by the school at a very low level even by rural Ugandan standards to enable as many families as possible in this subsistence level community to access the benefits of a good educational foundation for their children. Single parent families are subsidised with orphans and other severely disadvantaged children receiving a free education. The fees collected by the school are used to:
- provide local housing for the teachers
- rent a unit which serves as a secure school office until the new school administration building is completed in 2018
- buy the many sets of National Examination papers required to assess the children’s progress throughout the school year
- pay for foodstuffs and a cook to provide staff and some pupils with meals
- pay boda (taxi motorcyle) fares for school officials to travel to Fort Portal on school business
The Uphill Trust has taken responsibility for ensuring that teachers’ salaries are paid reliably so that the staffing levels for the school are more stable.
The School Director is working with the Inspector of Schools to ensure that the quality of education, administration and record-keeping systems meet the required standard and the Community Development Officer for the local area is also providing guidance. As a consequence of the ongoing school build project, the school and trust have developed excellent working relationships with the government planning and licensing authorities which will ensure that Uphill Junior School is in full compliance with Uganda’s new school regulations.
