Namutumba — Hundreds of parents, local leaders and excited pupils thronged Victoria Junior School on Saturday for the institution’s colourful end-of-year Education Expo, an event that has fast become the district’s biggest celebration of hands-on learning.
The atmosphere was electric as pupils proudly showcased maize plantations, rabbit-rearing units, liquid soap-making stations, candle crafts, juice processing corners and solar-powered phone charging projects — all products of the school’s aggressive implementation of the new lower-secondary curriculum.
Resident District Commissioner Fredrick Bangu, the chief guest, could not hide his admiration. Touring the exhibits with a wide smile, he stopped repeatedly to taste fresh passion-fruit juice made by Primary Six pupils and to inspect a solar lamp assembled by a Primary Seven candidate.
“This is the kind of education President Museveni talks about — education that feeds the child, the family and the nation,” Mr Bangu declared. “Victoria Junior School is not just teaching; you are breeding a generation of problem-solvers. If every school in Namutumba copied this model, our district would be food-secure in five years.”
District Education Officer Dr Muhammed Isiko used the platform to issue a passionate appeal to parents, especially with the 2026 election season approaching.
“Please protect your children from being turned into campaign tools,” Dr Isiko warned. “Politicians will come with sweets and T-shirts, but only education guarantees a future. Start saving for school fees now so that January 2026 finds your child in class, not on the streets.”
School Director Mr Nathan Muyinda told reporters that the expo is deliberately timed at the end of the year so parents can see tangible evidence of what their fees have achieved.
“Many parents think we only teach books,” Mr Muyinda said. “Today they touch, taste and feel what their children have produced. When a parent drinks juice processed by his own child, the value of education becomes real.”
Old students stole the show when more than 40 alumni — now lawyers, doctors, musicians, IT specialists and entrepreneurs — returned in convoys of shiny cars to mentor current pupils. Led by Counsel Esther Mudondo, a renowned Kampala advocate, the Old Boys and Old Girls donated scholastic materials worth millions of shillings and promised annual bursaries for bright, needy pupils.
“The discipline and practical skills we gained here are the reason we are who we are today,” Ms Mudondo told the pupils. “Stay in school, respect your teachers, and dream big — Namutumba’s future is in your hands.”
As the sun set, parents left clutching packets of seeds, soap samples and handmade crafts — proud souvenirs from an expo that once again proved Victoria Junior School is more than a classroom; it is a community transformation engine producing skilled, confident and entrepreneurial young Ugandans ready to change Namutumba for good.
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