History
Local parents created the school in 1958. The main purpose then was to educate Muslim women and girls using the mosque and a single grass thatched room on a small piece of land around the mosque. In the late sixties, the number of classrooms was increased to four using mud and wattle with iron roofs. In the early seventies the school became a fully fledged primary school with about 70-100 pupils. The liberation war of 1979 didn't spare the school. Iron roofs and some building blocks were vandalized.
After 1986, parents in the area once again joined hands to rehabilitate the school. Classrooms were built using mud, reeds, and some old iron sheets. Parents contributed items like cupboards, tables, and chairs, and nearby homes were used as stores for files and other school property.
In the early nineties the school became government grant aided and got a UNEB (Uganda National Examination Board) centre number. However pupils in primary seven were not able to sit for their Primary Leaving Exam (PLE) here due to the condition of the classrooms. In fact some pupils were studying under trees. The introduction of the Universal Primary Education (UPE) in 1996 brought about tremendous increase in the population from 181 in 1995 to 350 in 1997 as the pupils no longer paid tuition.
Bembe Hill School Today
In 2000, the parents through their meagre resources were able to make bricks and raise two classroom blocks up to window level. The government came in through the School
Facilitation Grant (SFG) to complete the two classrooms and build three new classrooms.
Parents were encouraged to construct a main hall, which was done up to window level. A donor organisation helped to provide the roof.
Mr. Abdul Majid Uthman is the head teacher at the school. He has been in the teaching service for the last 30 years and during which time he has been head teacher for 16 years. He is a Diploma holder and a Grade V teacher. The school has 670 pupils: 354 boys and 316 girls. The pupils ages range from 6 -15 years. There are 14 teachers 9 female and 5 male.
Current Needs
Although the school has made great progress, there is still much work to be done.
- Complete the school’s main hall so our primary seven candidates can have their final examinations instead of other schools. The
remaining work includes the floor, plastering, shutters and general works.
- A donor constructed a borehole with a water reservoir tank at the school, however the school has to provide electricity to run the pump that drills the water up to the reservoir. This borehole is estimated to serve over 200 families and the school. The remaining works require a total cost of about UGX 2,300,000 (US $1,000).
- Install a fence to keep away trespassers and control the movement of pupils during school time. The classrooms also need a coat of paint.
- Some parents still need to be sensitized on the issue of feeding their children while at school and
providing school requirements like books, pens, pencils, etc.
- The pupils need sports & game equipment & musical instruments.