President Yoweri Museveni’s former teacher of Physics, Mr. Gregory Richard Collins and the family of his late teacher of Economics, Gerald Sullivan, Mrs. Joan Mary Sullivan and her daughters, Sian and Ruth Sullivan, have visited Ntare School in Mbarara District and donated over 160 books to the school’s library.
President Museveni studied at Ntare School from 1962-1967 where Mr. Gregory Richard Collins taught from 1966 to1973.
Upon arrival at Ntare School yesterday, the visitors were taken to the Head Teacher’s office, Mr. Turyagyenda Jimmy, where they signed a visitor’s book and met with the teaching staff.
They were later taken to the Main Hall of the school to address the students.
Mr. Turyagyenda thanked Mr. Gregory Richard Collins and the Sullivan family for the donation of the books.
“We are grateful for the donation of the books. We have created the Sullivan Book Shelf in the library to put the books that you have donated to the school,” he said.
He thanked President Museveni for his efforts to get in touch with his former teachers.
He noted that the effort has led the school to benefit such as the donation of the books.
“The fact that the President has always tried to find his old teachers and encouraged them to visit their old school in Uganda, shows his love for his teachers, former school and the education sector at large,” he said.
He added that the teaching fraternity of Ntare School was proud and energized to know that old boys, like President Museveni and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, are fountains of honor in their respective countries.
Mr. Gregory Collins, on his part, thanked the school administration for a wonderful reception.
“Coming back to Uganda has always been a great opportunity because everyone is very welcoming. I hope that the books will be useful for both teachers and students,” he said.
He reminisced about his old days at the school with the students saying:
“While teaching here, I was nicknamed Mr. ‘Akekyoya’ because I used to be pushy to the students to be better and the students thought I was being tough on them,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the Sullivan family, Sain Sullivan said that her late father, Gerald Sullivan, used to talk much about Ntare School and how proud he was to have taught President Museveni.
The family donated Mr. Sullivan’s work files to the school during his days there.
Some of these included the first cross country route that Mr. Sullivan designed as the Head of Athletics during his time at the school; letters of correspondence with the managers of Kilembe Mines and Madhvani Sugar Estate for an industrial trip he organized for his economics class and his newspaper cuttings of news about President Museveni and Uganda.
The Head Teacher took Mr. Gregory Collins and the Sullivans on a guided tour of the new school laboratory block and the economics class.
The Vice President, Ntare School Board of Governors, Mr. Ndiwa Ndikora, said that the visit by the former teachers was a testimony of the continued greatness of the school and encouraged the students to emulate their old boys.
Gregory Collins and the Sullivan family paid President Museveni a courtesy call at State House Entebbe on Friday 16th November 2018 prior to travelling to Western Uganda.
