Gayaza High School
Encyclopedia
Gayaza High School is an all-girls boarding school covering grades 8 -13 in Uganda
. It is the oldest girls' school in the country.
, in Wakiso District
, approximately 16 miles (25.7 km) northeast of Kampala
, Uganda's capital and largest city. The school grounds cover an area of 140 acre (0.5665604 km²) on a hilltop, running roughly south
to north. It is bounded on the north by Makerere University
Farm at Kabanyolo and on the west by smallholdings and the Gayaza
- Namulonge
road. The area between the school farm and the road from Kampala
to Kalagi, Mukono, Uganda
comprises a swamp and more smallholdings. Gayaza
High School lies immediately north of a small settlement known as Gayaza Market
. At this point, the main road from Kampala forks; one road leading to Kalagi
in Mukono District
and the other to Namulonge Agricultural and Animal Research Institute (NAARI). The lane
between them leading up to the school, past the primary day schools and the parish church, is a cul de sac, which accounts for the school's relative security in times of trouble.
The coordinates of the school are: 0 27 35N; 32 36 40E.
missionaries belonging to the Church Missionary Society of England founded Gayaza High School in January 1905 with four students. By July 1905, the number of students had grown to 43.
The land was donated to the Church then by Kabaka Chwa II.
The purpose was to train girls, especially the daughters of chiefs of the Buganda Kingdom, in those skills that would make them better wives. This was the only basis of security approval from the traditional and
traditionalist leaders of that time. The founders however had a different motive: to educate girls based on a strong Christian foundation. They realized that the best way of entrenching Christianity was by having Christian mothers under whom children spent all their formative years.
In the beginning, the curriculum included agriculture
, handiwork
, child-care and needlework
, as well as scripture, reading
, writing
, arithmetic
and geography
. Academic excellence and social excellence are traditions in Gayaza High School. It is therefore not surprising that the school is one of the most sought after high schools in Uganda. In 2003, Gayaza High School was selected as the 60th best high school in Africa
.
Originally, any girl, as long as she was a daughter of a chief, that is Buganda Kingdom, was admitted to Gayaza. Later, even those from rich families were able to enter the school. Eventually the system changed further so that one had to pass both their oral and written examinations to get into Gayaza. Today this is still the practice.
The last house is named after the late Rhoda Nsibambi, former wife to the Prime Minister of Uganda
, Apollo Nsibambi. She was an alumnus of the school.
Lady Damali Catherine Nnakawombe Kisosonkole, wife of Kabaka, Sir Edward Muteesa II of Buganda Kingdom. She was an activist for human rights under the British colonial rule.
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. It is the oldest girls' school in the country.
Location
The school is located in the town of GayazaGayaza
-Location:Gayaza is situated in North Kyaddondo Constituency, Kyaddondo County, Wakiso District, in Central Uganda. The township is located approximately , northeast of Kasangati, on the road from Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city, to Ziroobwe, in Luweero District. This location lies...
, in Wakiso District
Wakiso District
Wakiso District is a district in Central Uganda that encircles Kampala, Uganda's capital city. The district is named after the town of Wakiso, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
, approximately 16 miles (25.7 km) northeast of Kampala
Kampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...
, Uganda's capital and largest city. The school grounds cover an area of 140 acre (0.5665604 km²) on a hilltop, running roughly south
to north. It is bounded on the north by Makerere University
Makerere University
Makerere University , Uganda's largest and second-oldest higher institution of learning, , was first established as a technical school in 1922. In 1963 it became the University of East Africa, offering courses leading to general degrees from the University of London...
Farm at Kabanyolo and on the west by smallholdings and the Gayaza
Gayaza
-Location:Gayaza is situated in North Kyaddondo Constituency, Kyaddondo County, Wakiso District, in Central Uganda. The township is located approximately , northeast of Kasangati, on the road from Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city, to Ziroobwe, in Luweero District. This location lies...
- Namulonge
Namulonge
-Location:Namulonge is located in North Kyaddondo Constituency, Kyaddondo County, Wakiso District, in Central Uganda. Its location lies approximately , by road, north of Gayaza. This location is approximately , by road, northeast of Kampala, Uganda's capital city...
road. The area between the school farm and the road from Kampala
Kampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...
to Kalagi, Mukono, Uganda
Kalagi, Mukono, Uganda
Kalagi is a town in Mukono District, in central Uganda.-Location:The town is located approximately north of Mukono, the district headquarters, on an all weather tarmac road. In Kalagi, the road from Mukono forms a T-junction with the road from Kasangati to Kayunga...
comprises a swamp and more smallholdings. Gayaza
High School lies immediately north of a small settlement known as Gayaza Market
Gayaza
-Location:Gayaza is situated in North Kyaddondo Constituency, Kyaddondo County, Wakiso District, in Central Uganda. The township is located approximately , northeast of Kasangati, on the road from Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city, to Ziroobwe, in Luweero District. This location lies...
. At this point, the main road from Kampala forks; one road leading to Kalagi
Kalagi
Kalagi is a town located in the Western Division of The Gambia.According to a 2009 estimate around 825 inhabitants live there. The result of the last published census of 1993 609....
in Mukono District
Mukono District
Mukono District is a district in Central Uganda. Like most other Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town' - Mukono.-Location:Mukono District is bordered by Kayunga District to the north, Buikwe District to the east, the Republic of Tanzania to the south, Kalangala District to the...
and the other to Namulonge Agricultural and Animal Research Institute (NAARI). The lane
between them leading up to the school, past the primary day schools and the parish church, is a cul de sac, which accounts for the school's relative security in times of trouble.
The coordinates of the school are: 0 27 35N; 32 36 40E.
History
ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
missionaries belonging to the Church Missionary Society of England founded Gayaza High School in January 1905 with four students. By July 1905, the number of students had grown to 43.
The land was donated to the Church then by Kabaka Chwa II.
The purpose was to train girls, especially the daughters of chiefs of the Buganda Kingdom, in those skills that would make them better wives. This was the only basis of security approval from the traditional and
traditionalist leaders of that time. The founders however had a different motive: to educate girls based on a strong Christian foundation. They realized that the best way of entrenching Christianity was by having Christian mothers under whom children spent all their formative years.
In the beginning, the curriculum included agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, handiwork
Handiwork
Handiwork is the seventh studio album by the Canadian guitarist Rik Emmett, released in 2002. It is second fully instrumental album recorded by Emmett.-Track listing:# "Full Sail" - 4:04# "Steady Burn" - 4:23# "Two Jigs" - 2:16# "The Long Line" - 3:50...
, child-care and needlework
Needlework
Needlework is a broad term for the handicrafts of decorative sewing and textile arts. Anything that uses a needle for construction can be called needlework...
, as well as scripture, reading
Reading (process)
Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols for the intention of constructing or deriving meaning . It is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas...
, writing
Writing
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...
, arithmetic
Arithmetic
Arithmetic or arithmetics is the oldest and most elementary branch of mathematics, used by almost everyone, for tasks ranging from simple day-to-day counting to advanced science and business calculations. It involves the study of quantity, especially as the result of combining numbers...
and geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
. Academic excellence and social excellence are traditions in Gayaza High School. It is therefore not surprising that the school is one of the most sought after high schools in Uganda. In 2003, Gayaza High School was selected as the 60th best high school in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
Originally, any girl, as long as she was a daughter of a chief, that is Buganda Kingdom, was admitted to Gayaza. Later, even those from rich families were able to enter the school. Eventually the system changed further so that one had to pass both their oral and written examinations to get into Gayaza. Today this is still the practice.
Student Residences
The student dormitories are named after prominent Ugandans or after past administrators at the school:- Corby House
- Hutchinson House
- Kennedy House
- Cox House
- Sherborne House
- Mary Stuart House
- Ham Mukasa House
- Apollo Kivebulaya House
- Rhoda Nsibambi House
The last house is named after the late Rhoda Nsibambi, former wife to the Prime Minister of Uganda
Prime Minister of Uganda
-List of Prime Ministers of Uganda:-Affiliations:-See also:*Uganda*President of Uganda*Vice President of Uganda*Politics of Uganda*History of Uganda*Political parties of Uganda...
, Apollo Nsibambi. She was an alumnus of the school.
- Elizabeth Bagaaya - Princess, Lawyer, Diplomat, Politician, Model
- Lady Justice Julia SebutindeJulia SebutindeLady Justice Julia Sebutinde, commonly referred to as Julia Sebutinde is a Judge at the Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague, the Netherlands. She was appointed to that position in 2007.-Background:...
- Presiding Judge, Courtroom II, International Criminal CourtInternational Criminal CourtThe International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
, the HaugeHaugeHauge is a common Norwegian surname, commonly associated with farms. The name Hauge derives from the old Norse word haugr meaning hill, knoll, or mound. Derivatives also include Haugan and Haugen...
, NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Lady Damali Catherine Nnakawombe Kisosonkole, wife of Kabaka, Sir Edward Muteesa II of Buganda Kingdom. She was an activist for human rights under the British colonial rule.