LIKE they say “no school is better than its head teacher”, the success story at Goodheart Senior Secondary School is embedded in its founder director Reuben Lufafa, an acclaimed educationist for over 33 years, whose name is synonymous with academic excellence, setting a benchmark for educational achievement in the region.
Goodheart Senior Secondary School, an O and A level day and mixed school situated along Old Kakira road on the hill of Wanyange, Bugembe Town Council in Jinja City Northern Division was founded way back in 2005 by Reuben Lufafa, now a retired head teacher.
Before retiring in February last year from Bufulubi SS in Mayuge, Lufafa, now aged 61years, lifted the status of the once little-known schools like St John SS Wakitaka and St Paul Mbulamuti SS, in the backyard of the former Speaker/First Deputy Prime Minister Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga to greater academic heights.
Data from various sources indicate that most of the students who have passed through Goodheart SS are now serving in many government departments and the private sector with the highest level of decency and good character.
Some of them include Allan Kayanga (Lufaafa’s own son) working in the USA, and Norman Namirengo living and working in the United Arab Emirates where he also remains an active scout member.
Others are Dr Geoffrey Kamwami, Dr Ivan Lume, Dr Ian Kimbugwe, Dr Ivan Kalangale,Dr Moses Kisubi,Dr George Baswalirwa,Dr Sadat Twesigye,Dr Cissy Ataliba and Dr Samuel Mubiru.
The long list also includes Eng Joseph Mpendenye, Eng Jovan Nsadha, Eng Michael Wambi, Eng Arnold Ochake, Eng James Mugambe, and others in various fields like food science, agriculture, forestry, statistics, industrial chemistry, public health and hospitality industry.
From 2006 when its pioneer candidates sat with only 41 students, the school has produced 544 students in Grade One and 684 in the second grade at Ordinary level also known as Uganda Certificate of Education(UCE).
Since 2006 Goodheart has always been among the top performing schools in Busoga and eastern region.
In the 2023 best ranking for O level results, Goodheart SS was the best in Jinja district and stood at number 4 in eastern region, while the school ranking based on grade one, it scooped the 46th position nationally, a clear indication that it’s a competitive school.
How and Why Goodheart SS was started.
The idea of setting up the school came after a sudden transfer of Reuben Lufaafa from St John’s Wakitaka SS that was politically motivated by some politicians who looked at his rising popularity as a threat.
After his transfer, members of the public, parents and local leaders urged Reuben Lufaafa to start a private school where their children would not get affordable and quality education coupled with the kind of discipline within their locality.
He embarked on the journey and within one month, Goodheart SS had 800 students from senior one-three and senior five, although the school lacked so many “…we have since maintained the enrollment at 1,200 students which is a manageable number, and we have never looked back as far as the school affairs are concerned…”,Lufaafa said.
However, pressure to absorb more students continued to mount forcing him to set up another sister school called Honest Hill in 2011 which is also an O level school registered and recognized by the Ministry of Education and Sports.
Goodheart SS
The best students from Goodheart who join with weak grades are always taken to the best schools for A level like St Mary’s College Kisubi, St Mary’s Kitende, Maryland High School, Gombe SS, Viena College, Kiira College Butiki, Iganga SS, Nabisunsa Girls, Budo SS and Kings College Buddo and Namilyango College.
Most of them are sponsored by the director Reuben Lufaafa because they come from humble homes and families.
“…others remain at Goodheart for their A level and still perform well,more than 90% of our students qualify for university admission and sciences which has made the school a household name…”,he boasted.
What You Need To Know:
Reuben Lufaafa is the son of Jonathan Lufaafa who worked as a cashier at Jinja Municipal Council (now City) for more than 30 years. He hails from the baise musubo clan and is happily married, with children.
Apart from the teaching career, Reuben Lufaafa also had a stint as Deputy Prime Minister in Busoga kingdom before he was relieved of his duties, giving him another slot as the minister of education at Butembe Chiefdom.
While at St John Secondary School, he was the chairman of Private Schools in Busoga and eastern region.
Transfers.
He was first transferred to Kamuge SS in Pallisa where he worked for only one month when the bishop of Busoga Diocese Rt. Rev. Dr. Michael Kyomya, knowing his usefulness, appealed to the Ministry which posted him to St Paul’s Mbulamuti SS where I served for 15 years.
In 2019 he was posted to a catholic school in Kaliro but the school board wanted a head teacher of the catholic faith and so Lufaafa was posted to Malongo SS in Mayuge where he served for less than a month when COVID-19 pandemic broke out.
The reigning Bishop of Busoga Dr Samson Moses Naimanhye later requested the ministry which transferred him to Bufulubi SS in Mayuge where he served until retirement in February 2023.
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