It was Plato who first argued that boys and girls should be taught together. I suspect he’d be thrilled by the direction in which things are moving. Even in the independent sector, seen as the last bastion of segregated schooling, only 10 per cent of boys and 16pc of girls are now educated in single-sex schools. And that number is likely to fall further.
There are now a third fewer girls’ schools and half as many boys’ schools as there were 20 years ago — a trend surely set to continue but not in Kiyansano, Rukungiri District.
TheUgandan can exclusively confirm that one of Uganda’s oldest and most notorious single sex school – Makobore High School, Kinyasano will starting this academic year become a mixed school, admitting girls for the first time in over five decades.
North Kigezi Diocesan Education Secretary, Rev Amos Katushabe disclosed to our reporter that the violence-ridden school will commence the new status next term and announcements have been sent to churches, and local radio stations inviting prospective students, their parents and guardians to apply.
“We have made a decision after trying several times to restore the glory of the school and we shall see how it works, ” Rev. Katushabe said.
Makobore’s new headmaster of the school Twebaze Mbabazi Charles Brian also confirmed the development but dismissed reports that financial woes were the cause of the chronological shift and had nothing to do with the fact that their students always raid the neighboring Kinyasano girl’s secondary school because of “sex segregation that increases gender stereotyping and legitimises institutional sexism”.
Makobore high school was established in 1965 after it was upgraded from a junior to secondary school. A number of prominent people such as Jim Muhwezi, former minister, Lt Col Paddy Ankunda, top city lawyer Jonathan Bwagi, Hon Fred Turyamuhweza and Hon Roland Kaginda among others are old boys of the schools.
