Government to honor Busoga education icon – says Kadaga

Isabirye was appointed head teacher in 1981 until 2001 when he retired and founded Nakanyonyi Girls School on the foot of Igenge Hill, where the Kyabazinga official palace sits.

By Nelly Otto

Kamuli – July 18, 2022: The First Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of the East African Affairs Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga says the government will award a medal to John Richard Isabirye the director and founder of Nakanyonyi Girls School in Jinja for his distinguished services in the education sector.

Kadaga says anytime Isabirye who retired after serving 30 years as head teacher at Kiira College Butiiki (KCB) in Jinja would be called somewhere for official recognition for the contributions made to the education sector in Busoga and the country at large.

This was during a thanksgiving ceremony held at Kamuli Community College, Kasambira Town Council in Kamuli where Kadaga who doubles as the Kamuli District Woman MP was the guest of honor.

Isabirye, fondly known by many as JR is an old boy of KCB having studied there in the early 1960s before joining the same school as a teacher in 1973 and becoming deputy head teacher in 1975.

Records available show that Isabirye was appointed head teacher in 1981 until 2001 when he retired and founded Nakanyonyi Girls School on the foot of Igenge Hill, where the Kyabazinga official palace sits.

Old students now in big private and public offices who studied at KCB heaped praises on Isabirye, whom they described as a dedicated and humble educationist of unique qualities.

During the ceremony, Kadaga donated shs10m cash to support girl child education in the privately run school founded by Issa Matovu the chairman of Busoga Muslim Association alongside his brother Faisal Matovu.

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The ever generous Speaker of Parliament Anita Annette Among and her Deputy Thomas Tayebwa gave shs10m and shs5m respectively and was delivered by Bukholi Central MP Solomon Silwanyi.

Silwanyi who is one of the Commissioners in Parliament also donated shs5m cash to support the school which has persevered through the effects of a two-year shut down of the education sector following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking during the ceremony to celebrate 23 years of existence, the Commissioner of Higher Education in the Ministry of Education and Sports Hajji Muzamil Mukwatempola said the government has introduced a special programme to absorb all senior six candidates who sat during the lockdown.

Mukwatempola, speaking softly as the name suggests, asked teachers and parents to encourage all senior six candidates to apply who sat between 2018 and 2020 with two principles passes to apply online and benefit from the programme for university studies.