Nabisunsa Girls Secondary School

There is no doubt that today Nabisunsa Girls' Secondary School is one of the best performing schools in the country. With more than 90% of its students qualifying to join university every year, it competes very well with the best girls’ schools in the land. It is one of many fruits of the tireless efforts of Prince Badru Kakungulu and his henchmen and a befitting reason to celebrate the success of Young Men Muslim Association 75 after its founding.

The school was founded on a 10 acre piece of land in Banda offered to Kakungulu by the colonial government in exchange for a plot in Nakawa (present day Uganda Revenue Authority offices) where the Nakawa mosque and the place of Mutesa I’s conversion to Islam was located. The government would use the Nakawa land to construction a World War Veterans’ camp.

On 8th May 1947 Prince Badru Kakungulu asked the colonial government to register the land at Banda together with other land in the country for Islamic purposes in the names of Young Men's Muslim Association. Under the close supervision of Kakungulu and YMMA members, like Hajj Ramathan Gava, Abu Mayanja, Ntege Lubwama and with support from Bandali Jaffer, and the East African Muslim Welfare Society, Nabisunsa Girls School started after 1956 as a girls’ boarding primary school, transforming into a junior secondary school in 1958 and a senior secondary school in 1964. The school was elevated to A’level in 1981. It has since become one of the leading centres of secondary education here and a champion for girl child education. Located along the Kampala to Jinja road highway, Nabisunsa Girls Secondary School is government aided boarding school with a population of 1,507 students with 650 being Muslims.

Hajati A.M Lubega, the headmistress says that the school was founded with an intention to have more girls take up education and that they “should take pride in their religion and be an example of good educated Muslim Women”. The school employs 86 teaching staff of which 41 are Muslims, 18 non-teaching staff and 45 group employees. It is among the best government-aided girls schools in Uganda offering a wide range of curriculum approved by the ministry of education and sports. They provide both sciences and arts at ordinary and advanced level. International languages like French, German and Arabic are part of the curriculum.

The school provides co-curricular activities; sports and recreation are available for students. They have a bus that transports students for field trips, sports competitions, school tours and seminars. The atmosphere of living on campus and interacting with friends from all over Uganda and neigbouring countries is life changing experience. The school provides good accommodation and they are looked after by housemistresses and housefathers. Nabisunsa provides academic counseling to assist students with personal, academic and career goals. Teachers also mentor all students. The school sends a big percentage of her students on government sponsorship in higher institutions of learning. Some students attain overseas scholarships for sports girls in American universities and others go for various overseas placements. 

The new A’ level block is almost complete, what remains is fixing external fixtures and will house all HSC students. A new four level laboratory block was put up to address the lack of laboratory to handle science classes; the roofing stage has been completed. It needs funds and urgent completion. Most teachers reside out of the school posing a heavy cost for transport and rent, where over sh150m is spent annually on transport and rent.

For security reasons, the entire school needs a wall fence, only a portion of the school has been fenced today. The school needs its own sports to avoid spending money on hiring sports fields. The school sports court needs funds for rehabilitation. The solar power, water project and various construction programs are under way but many need funds to enable completion. More importantly four more storied buildings are needed with 12 classrooms.

Presently the school has a challenge of admission to senior one and senior five where Muslim students of quality are not available. The school wants to get feeder schools to supply high quality Muslim students.