Enjuba International School learners wow parents during cultural festival

Albert Daniel Ampaire, a nine-year-old Grade Two student, is already proficient in chess, can swim in the deep end of a pool, and has developed skills in football and volleyball.

When asked by this reporter what she has learned at Enjuba International School, Shalom Favour Jemimah, a seven-year-old Grade Two pupil, mentioned she has acquired skills in paying attention, listening, and writing—skills that many employers claim are lacking in university graduates.

Aaron Kirunda, the Chief Executive Officer of Enjuba, a non-profit children’s education organisation that also runs the popular Spelling Bee contest and publishes children’s books, believes that building a strong foundation helps children navigate the world with ease in the future.

Jemimah, like Ampaire, has been involved in most of the school’s co-curricular activities since she joined in 2021.

“What we teach is the best you can find in the world,” Kirunda stated, noting that their curriculum is continually revised based on the latest research in early childhood education.

“It’s not static,” he added, explaining that the learning programme is based on STEM.

“We use a holistic hybrid curriculum,” he said, highlighting that they integrate the Singapore Math curriculum, the national curriculum, Accelerated Christian Education (ACE), and Early Learning Matters (ELM).

According to Aaron Kirunda, the co-curricular activities help children develop critical thinking skills, learn strategies, and build athletic bodies, leading to better cognitive abilities.

Lydia Namuwonge, who teaches Grades One to Three, previously worked as a homeschool teacher before joining Enjuba. She noted that the teaching environment at the school is less pressurising, providing her with an opportunity to learn more, which has subsequently led her to become a trainer for other teachers.

Enjuba International School serves as a laboratory for testing new ideas, and for those that prove successful, they collaborate with government-aided schools in Mayuge for implementation. Before rolling out these ideas, teachers like Namuwonge train fellow educators who will be implementing them. With government support, Kirunda mentioned that they plan to expand to more schools.

During the Enjuba Cultural Festival, students demonstrated to their parents that the school fees they pay each term are worth it. Some students showcased their talents in playing musical instruments, others danced (both traditional and contemporary), a group recited a poem, and during the fashion show, they appeared in a variety of handmade outfits.

The most impressive part of the presentation was a student who could both interpret and use sign language.

Mahad Moses, a parent with two children at the school, noted that one of the factors that attracted him to Enjuba was its interest in culture. He expressed his satisfaction at seeing children at the school exhibit knowledge of his Nubian culture. When greeting their parents, the children were asked to do so in different languages, including Runyakore/Rukiga, Kirundi, Kinyarwanda, Rutoro/Runyoro, Luganda, Ateso, and Acholi, among others.

Aaron Kirunda emphasised that they are helping children connect with their identity, noting that globalisation makes it difficult for children to stay rooted in their cultures, which is an essential aspect of their development.

“Language is a big part of our identity… let us teach them to learn their language, let us teach them to learn their culture and their family trees,” he urged, adding that parents should take their children to their ancestral homes to help them understand their heritage.

The school’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Chairman, Jimmy Luyima, a lecturer in the Department of Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Educational Media at Kyambogo University, stressed that it is the responsibility of parents to ensure their children understand their cultures.

Additionally, at the exhibition, various traditional foods from regions such as Busoga, Ankole, Toro, Buganda, Burundi, and Rwanda were displayed, including Karo, Eshabwe, roasted meat mixed with small mushrooms, Luwombo, steamed groundnuts, roasted sweet potatoes, and boiled sweet potatoes (both peeled and unpeeled).

Teachers, parents, and non-teaching staff also participated in activities like dancing and singing, which added more vibrancy to the event.

Moses described Enjuba International School as “perfect,” stating that he plans to bring more of his children to the school and hopes it will add more classes so his children can complete their primary education there. The school currently accepts learners from daycare up to Grade Three.

Moses’ wife, Aisha Mutoni, was immediately impressed when she discovered that the school limits its class sizes to 15 children. One of their children had attended a crowded school, and she was concerned that the child was not receiving enough attention from the teachers. Mutoni said the school has delivered on its promises.

Elizabeth Sekyeru, who pays school fees for a child who is not her own, said she was impressed with the warm reception from the administration, which even offered to pay part of the fees. She noted that despite the school’s modest fees, the children are learning much more than in some other schools that charge the same or even higher fees.

Her hope is for the school to introduce a programme that allows children from other schools to participate in their co-curricular activities, perhaps on weekends or during holidays.