The Sarah Ntiro Lecture and Award

Introduction

Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) is a membership organisation that brings together African women ministers in charge of national education systems, women vice chancellors of African universities and other senior women policy makers. The continental headquarters of FAWE is in Nairobi, Kenya, where it was registered as a pan-African NGO in 1993. She now has 31 national chapters including the Uganda Chapter.

FAWE Uganda Chapter

FAWE-Uganda Chapter, FAWEU, was registered as an NGO in Uganda in 1997 with the help of the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, Kampala, plus men and women who support girls' education in Africa. FAWE Uganda's mission is to bridge gender and other disparities affecting girls' education in Uganda through concrete interventions. She has designed local innovations to enhance girls' education.

Through home-grown initiatives, FAWE Uganda has sought to bridge gaps that negatively impact on girls' education in Uganda, such as rural, urban and gender gaps. She has initiated a scholarship program for needy but bright girls from disadvantaged regions, in particular. This includes orphans and handicapped girls who are assisted through high school and a few through university. FAWE Uganda has also initiated a role model project to motivate, encourage and mentor girls to excellence. Through the Models of Excellence and Women of Distinction Project, FAWE Uganda has raised role modelling and mentoring of girls to a unique level in Uganda.

Background

FAWEU honoured over 40 career women achievers as Models of Excellence and 12 high profile women leaders as Women of Distinction. They were commissioned at a colourful ceremony officiated by the Vice President of Uganda, H.E. Dr. Specioza Wandira Kazibwe, on December 14, 1999, at the International Conference Centre, Kampala. Women of Distinction, in particular, are high profile women willing to be goodwill ambassadors for promoting girls' education on behalf of FAWEU. Among them was Sarah Nyendwoha Ntiro, the first woman university graduate in East and Central Africa.

The Sarah Ntiro Public Lecture and Award

FAWEU conceived the Sarah Ntiro Public Lecture and Award to be a special recognition and appreciation of Sarah Ntiro. The inaugural ceremony featured a number of activities including a cash prize to Sarah Ntiro herself as the first beneficiary.

Other prizes, awards and plaques were presented to other torchbearers and significant contributors to female education and development in Uganda. The Public Lecture had a high national profile status and involved eminent African women educationalists and leaders who are on the cutting edge of global leadership.

Justification

The Sarah Ntiro Public Lecture and Award could very well be the first public lecture in honour of a woman leader in Uganda. Sarah Ntiro deserves it because she is an inspiration and mentor for many girls and women. Thus it does not only celebrate her pioneering achievement in girls' education, but has become an annual platform for special recognition and appreciation of other women torchbearers in various disciplines. This makes it a powerful incentive for girls and women to aspire to excellence. As an annual event, it offers a strategic forum for the clarion call on African policy makers to create an enabling and conducive environment for girls' and female education in Africa.

Objectives of the Sarah Ntiro Lecture and Award

To celebrate the life, achievements and leadership of a trailblazer in female education in Uganda and East Africa.
To motivate girls and women to excel in education, leadership and development
To encourage girls to surmount obstacles in their path
To award an annual 'Sarah Ntiro' cash prize to a select woman torchbearer
To provide a forum for articulating affirmative policy proposals and advocacy towards greater opportunities for girls education in Africa
To honour other women torchbearers irrespective of formal education achievement
To attract more investment for girls' education from development partners, Government and the Private Sector.

The Inaugural Ceremony

The inaugural public lecture was a high profile national event with maximum visibility. Those who attend included Members of Parliament, Cabinet, FAWEU Models of Excellence and Women of Distinction, the Diplomatic Corp, The Donor Community resident in Uganda, traditional leaders, faculty and students from Colleges and Universities, Women NGOs, students from schools sampled from all over the country.

In addition to the cash prize to Sarah Ntiro herself, other torchbearers were also honoured. They included: first women graduates in each of the 45 districts of Uganda, in the various professions such as law, engineering, medicine, politics, agriculture, etc., and PhDs in the Arts, Humanities and Sciences. The best girls in the last 'A' level (Arts and Sciences), 'O' level and PLE Examinations will also be given prizes.

Other awards given were to those who have made a significant contribution to the education of girls in Uganda and support to FAWEU. These are Hon. Amanya Mushega, Minister of Public Service (former Minister of Education and founding patron of FAWEU), who has supported FAWE nationally and internationally, Prof. John Sebuwufu, Vice Chancellor, Makerere University, who facilitated the launch of FAWEU and Prof. Khiddu Makubuya, Minister of Education and Sports, FAWEU Patron, during whose tenure the National Strategy of Girls' Education in Uganda was launched.

The inaugural ceremony featured a full pageantry with a procession to the lecture venue led by an all female brass band from the Uganda Police and Prisons Bands. A two hundred-girls' voice mass choir participated in songs, recitals and poetry of inspiration to girls to aspire to excellence and leadership. This then climaxed with the public lecture and a reception.

The inaugural lecture and award presenter was Hon Amanya Mushega, the Secretary General of the East African Community, then Minister of Public Service and Sarah Ntiro's student in High school. The 1st Award was won by Sarah Ntiro, the "woman of many firsts, and indeed a trail blazer."

The 2nd lecture was held on 1st March 2002, presented by Mrs Marquette Brown, Director of Office of Science, Engineering and Technical Education at Spelman College, GA Atlanta, USA. The theme was 'Encouraging girls' achievement in Mathematics, Science and Technical Education'. The Award was won by Elizabeth Byanjeru Kakonge Rubaihayo, an agricultural researcher. The lecture was preceded by a high profile banquet in advocacy for increased investment in girls' education.

The 3rd Sarah Ntiro Lecture was held on 28th February, 2003 under the theme "Footsteps to excellence- encouraging disadvantaged young people especially girls, to pursue Science, Maths and Technical Education in Africa". The lecture presenter was Dr Yvonne Blanchard Freeman- a pioneer African-American Woman Scientist and currently Executive Director of SECME (South-Eastern Consortium of Minorities in Engineering) Inc., in Atlanta GA, USA.

The Award winner was Engineer Irene Margaret Nafuna Muloni, the Acting Director of Uganda Electricity Distribution Company. From a rural and humble background, Irene has had to surmount numerous obstacles to succeed in a 'male domain'. The runner up was Dr Fina A. Opio, an Agricultural researcher and Director of Namulonge Agricultural Research Institute.

Ms Vicky Moore, the Director of USAID Mission, Kampala was recognized as a Woman of Distinction and Justice Julie Sebutinde, Dr Jane Faulal Odubu (Consultant surgeon) and Jackie Amoko (1ST class Civil Engineering degree) as models of excellence. Assumpta Nantume, best PLE girl 2002 was named Best Girl and Fred Semakula, achiever against odds, Young man of the year.

Sarah Ntiro-The Woman of Many "Firsts"

Sarah Ntiro was already a confirmed trailblazer when she protested against a salary scale lower than that of her male graduate counterparts, some of whom she had beaten in grades. This was way back in 1955 while a teacher in Uganda's premier girls school, Gayaza High school. She had graduated from Oxford University with a BA (Hon) in History in 1954. Though a graduate, Sarah was supposed to earn less than male graduates, but refused to accept less than what she deserved. In her efforts to garner support of fellow women graduates from other Eastern and Central African countries, Sarah quickly discovered she would go it alone because she was the only woman graduate then! She instead volunteered to teach without pay as a form of protest rather than accept lower pay.

The wife of the colonial governor then soon heard about her protest and sought to find out why she was 'upsetting' the government. Sarah explained that all she wanted was what was hers by right, that is, equal pay for equal work on equal merit. The governor's wife intervened with the colonial government and she was permitted to receive equal salary. The governor's wife discovered that Sarah, like her, was at St. Anne's College, Oxford; she later wrote and congratulated Oxford for training Sarah well.

Did it all begin at Oxford? Of course not. Sarah's aptitude demonstrated in high school gives a clue. She excelled in Mathematics at King's College, Buddo, and was one of the first six girls to be admitted to Makerere College, now Makerere University, Kampala. While other female students were offered non-core courses tailor made for women, Sarah was enrolled into the mainstream, which at that time was a male domain. She became the first female, not only to be mainstreamed, but also to offer Mathematics in a class of 32 that had a male-female ratio of 31 to 1.

But, alas, the Maths tutor, a male, would have nothing to do with a girl stepping into the Maths lecture room, let alone studying Maths! When Sarah reported for her first class, the tutor asked her if she thought she was visiting "a maternity war"'. But she insisted and proceeded to take her seat. The tutor walked out in protest vowing never to teach Maths again unless she withdrew. She later did, more in consideration for her fellow classmates than the tutor. She then settled for History, Geography and English.

On graduation from Makerere College, she taught at Kyebambe Girls' School in Western Uganda between 1950-51. While there, she studied and passed Latin at Virika Mission, Fort Portal, as Classics pre-requisite for admission to St. Anne's College, Oxford. Mastering a foreign language was not a big hurdle for Sarah if it meant she had to do it to attain her goal.

Asked if she has ever been gripped by a sense of destiny, Sarah replied: "I have only tried to do what is right and demand what is mine by right." She credits her mother and father for playing a very important role in her success: "My mother was regarded as an educated woman, and my father, who had been to King's College, Budo, was a teacher by profession. They both wanted their daughter to be educated".

Sarah's return from Oxford University was celebrated with a party organised at the Bishop's residence in Hoima, her hometown. All schoolgirls from the mission schools in and around Hoima were invited. The girls insisted on seeing Sara in her Oxford gown and cap. Unfortunately for them, she had given hers away to a Greek girl at Oxford. Unknown to her at that time, one of the little girls present resolved to become a university graduate just like her. She did, and today she is Mrs. Florence Nkurukenda, former Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Uganda. Sarah Ntiro, therefore, is not only a trailblazer for women; she is also a powerful continuing inspiration for girls in school.

Besides teaching at Gayaza High School on return from Oxford, Sarah also became one of the first two African women members of the Uganda Legislative Council (1958-61) and was member of three separate delegations from Uganda to the UN General Assembly. She started the Teaching Service Committee, now the Educational Service Commission, when she worked in the Ministry of Education (1965-67). She later worked in the Office of the Vice Chancellor, Makerere University, (1970-78) but was exiled to Nairobi, Kenya, (1978-86). While in exile, she established an Education Consultancy of Higher Education for African Refugees being one herself.

Sarah belonged to one of the first women movements in Uganda, the Uganda Council of Women (UCW), as well as YWCA (Uganda) where she was on the World YWCA Executive as Vice President for Africa (1971-79). She was also a member of the Uganda Association of University Women, Family Planning Association of Uganda and later co-founder and Patron of DENIVA (the Development Network of Indigenous Voluntary Associations). In 1958, she got married to Tanzanian Professor Sam Joseph Ntiro, a renowned artist and one of the founders of the Margaret Trowel School of Fine Art, Makerere University, who became Tanganyika's High Commissioner to Great Britain between 1961-64. Hence Sarah returned to Britain in those years as wife to the Tanganyika High Commissioner. Prof. Ntiro passed away in 1993.

Sarah Ntiro was the first to cut the narrow trail of university education that has now become a highway of opportunities for Ugandan girls and women. Today's leading Ugandan women intellectuals, politicians, doctors, engineers, accountants, scientists and policy makers - "movers and shakers" - owe a lot to Sarah (Nyendwoha) Ntiro, the African girl child from Bunyoro-Kitara who dared to swim against the tide and become the Woman of many Firsts!

Additional Information

For more information about the Sarah Ntiro Lecture and Award or about FAWE-Uganda, contact:
Florence Kanyike
The National Coordinator
FAWE Uganda Chapter
P.O Box 24117,Kampala
Tel: 256-(0)41-258725/236863, 256-(0)77-487299
E-mail: faweu@infocom.co.ug
Website: http://www.faweu.or.ug