The continued rise of St Joseph's SS Naggalama

A decade ago St Joseph's SS Naggalama was a dependable, unremarkable Mukono school. Today its UCE Division 1 counts place it among the most-improved in central Uganda, and parents from as far as Kampala now list it as a first choice.

The turnaround has been methodical rather than dramatic: streamed remedial classes, a no-gap policy on teaching cover, and an unusually stable staff room. Heads of department, not only the head teacher, are held to the results their subjects post.

Boarding capacity has grown carefully, never ahead of the school’s ability to actually teach the extra pupils. That restraint is the part rivals find hardest to copy.

The risk now is its own success. Demand is outpacing places, and the school is weighing a second stream without diluting the things that made the first one work.