The ninth edition of the Stanbic National Schools Championship came to an end last week with several schools taking home accolades and cash prizes.
The competition, which has impacted more than 480,000 learners with life- skills that are vital to one's success after school, teachers and the communities, provides a transformative impact on students' lives and the educational experience, writes GEOFREY SERUGO.
St Joseph's High School Namagunga was crowned the Student-Spark category winner of this year's Stanbic National Schools Championship. The was at the grand finale held at Hotel Africana.
The school designed a multi-purposed, eco-friendly and solar-powered mower that reduces on solar emissions while maintaining lawns and scrubbing floors. The championship provides a holistic approach to learning and capacity development for students and teachers in secondary schools in various areas including; career growth and development, financial education, business and entrepreneurship, teacher training and capacity development and psychosocial wellness.
Kyenjojo-based Katwe Noor SS won in the Student-Grow category, where they established a Library Information platform which simplifies access to library resources, thus enhancing students' research capabilities and learning experiences.
Edward Fredrick Mongoyi won the Alum-Grow category for students with ongoing and active innovative projects and businesses. He established Skool Bike project, which provides affordable and reliable bicycle transport to students to avoid absenteeism and ensuring they have consistent education.
Emmauel Mugambe from Sheema Girls School won Teach Innovate Category for his project which addresses low morale and engagement in students by integrating game elements into the learning process, making education enjoyable.
SOLID IMPACT
To date, the championship has impacted more than 480,000 learners, teachers and the community through direct and indirect beneficiaries.
At least 100 schools participated in this year's championship. Over the last nine years, the programme has produced hundreds of entrepreneurship champions and positively impacted thousands more with life-skills that are vital to one's success after school.
Particularly, over 200 businesses have emerged from the thousands of ideas pitched--at least 90 of these businesses have received capital grants from the bank. Overall, over 180 of these enterprises are running--creating real opportunities for the young people behind them and the communities in which they live. For the bank, this is a big achievement as it aligns with its purpose of driving Uganda's growth--by nurturing the next generation of Ugandan enterprises.
It has also been proven that participation in the championship influences students' future academic and career goals. Every year, over the last nine years, programme participation has steadily been growing--from 34 schools in 2016, to 100 in 2021 and more than 150 in 2024, picked from across the country.
The growth in participation is linked to the benefits to students that have participated. Joel Walyuba, a teacher at St Joseph's High School Namagunga, praised the programme for nurturing confident young business leaders who have the capacity to leave school with bankable ideas that they could pitch to potential investors.
"From the onset, the programme wanted to motivate a shift in attitude from job seekers to job creators--and we are increasingly seeing proof points to this shift. Students leave school not worried about a job but confident that they can turn an idea into a job for themselves and others," he says.
NEW SHIFT
A look at specific schools who have significantly benefited from the championship shows that initially, the championship was dominated by schools in the Central region but the success now cuts across the country.
According to Ken Agutamba, the Stanbic head, Reputation and Communication, they received feedback from stakeholders who wanted to see more schools from other parts of the country participating. Indeed, in recent years, more schools outside of the Central region are not just participating, but competing.
A good case in point is the winner of the 2021 championship which was Kyebambe Girls SS, from Kyenjojo district, the following year--2022, Mandela SS in Hoima won the championship, and last year in 2023, Comboni College School in Lira took the day.
"This spread across the school profiles gives the programme the true national character that we always wanted," Agutamba says.
PERSPECTIVE
Samuel Mwogeza, the Stanbic bank executive director, said there are no losers in the competition.
"In competition, there are winners and losers. But in a program like this, there are only the winners. I commend each one of you who has reached this point," he said.
"We have reason to believe that young people can aspire to a greater future ahead. Your work is exceptional and ensures that we have the outcomes. There has been a lot of hard work and creativity. Don't take lightly the ideas that have been started in your communities; they have the power to be transformational in this country if we pay attention to them."
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Under the competition, teachers participate and contribute to the success of their students in the competition. Here, every participating student group has a staff patron--normally a teacher assigned to entrepreneurship teaching in a particular school.
The teachers, therefore, add real value in the pitch process as they guide and shape the students' projects. According to Agutamba, no school has won the championship over the past nine years without the direct support and guidance from staff. He also notes that participating in the championship helps students develop new skills.
"The championship has become a platform for students to proof-check the entrepreneurship concepts and theories that they pick up in classes. They are challenged to think and act like leaders. They gain budgeting, leadership, collaboration, teamwork, marketing and sales pitch skills which are critical for one to succeed as a business owner. Many of our past winners who have since left school, have gone on to put these skills to use and we are proud to say that they are thriving out there--creating jobs not for just themselves but their peers too," he says.
