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BY RICHARD DRASIMAKU
ARUA: MONDAY, JUNE 30, 2025
The Ushindi primary and secondary school has staged an elegant road walk as part of publicity activities to celebrate 25 years of academic excellence.
The main event is slated for July 12, 2025 at the secondary school campus. It is expected to be an action packed fete with activities including music, dance drama, speeches and other entertainments.
The silver jubilee is a hallmark of glittering success attributed to strict adherence to the school’s motto, “Victory in Christ.”
Charles Asiki, the vice chairman of the school board of directors said could not hide his excitement as he marvels at how far the school had risen over the years.
Back in 2000 a group of six visionaries sat for a casual meeting to discuss the possibility of starting a private school anchored on Christian values.
This was because many schools were laden with moral decay characterized with hooliganism, strikes and ultimately poor academic results in national examinations.
HUMBLE BEGINNING
From a humble beginning at a garage in Arua town and with seven pupils, Ushindi School was born. From those pioneers, the school grew downwards to include a nursery section and upwards to Ordinary and Advanced level of secondary education, churning out some of the brightest brains into the public domain.
Edna Abiko, an OG of the third cohort gave a vivid recount of the state of the secondary school section when the campus in Vurra sub-county, Arua district was established.
“We were 160 students in total and we knew each other. We had very cordial relation with the cooks and we were like a one family whose members cared for each other,” she said.
The school was cold, deep in the village that you could hardly see a car. “But we spoke good English and we liked to challenge students from surrounding schools who struggled to speak English during friendly football and netball matches,” Abiko said.
Abiko who is now a representative of the alumnae on the board recalls that back then they would be allowed a once-in-a-month country walk where some students went to the nearest trading centres, others would go into the bush looking for wild fruits and during mango season, students would harvest mangoes and share with their teachers.
Students who didn’t eat meat were placed on a vegetarian diet occasionally spiced with chicken or fish.
There were only four block buildings at the time – a classroom block, administration block, a dormitory for girls and another for boys and lot of space for playing. Then there was the kitchen and later a library and a multipurpose hall was added from wher the Uganda National Examinations were sat.
Fast-forward to 2025, Ushindi is a vibrant giant bustling with over 600 students excluding the nursery and primary school that some classes even have two streams.
Patrick Victor, the school head teacher alluded that they now operate both day and boarding section accommodating 647 students, 34% of whom are internationals.
He said every admission period, they turn down not less than 250 applications because of the overwhelming number of students wanting to join Ushindi.
Victor says this is because the public has seen their product i.e. students who are principled, morally upright and value-led that it has endeared Ushindi to the parents.
“We look forward to improving the facilities to enable us to take in more students,” he said.
