Nineteen-year-old Ibrahim Fauzi is unofficially the best-performing student from the recently-released Uneb A-level results but his journey to academic excellence has been anything but smooth, writes MOSES TALEMWA.
Fauzi has a dream. In that dream, set six years from now, you will walk into a health facility and he will be the doctor on duty. And Fauzi is not any dreamer. He has consistently backed it up with excellent grades. He was the only student in the whole country to obtain three As in his principal subjects; Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics as well as distinction 1 in each of his subsidiary subjects, IT and General Paper.
The former student of Kibuli SS applied for the Bachelor of Science in Medicine and Surgery at Makerere University as his first choice. And as things stand, he should gain admission to the university for this academic programme.
“I hope to excel in this programme so that I can become a surgeon, who is able to save the lives of many Ugandans with complicated diseases, some of which are very expensive to treat within the country and abroad,” he says.
Fauzi is the son of devout Muslims, in Gangu, Busabala in Wakiso. They are Ibrahim Ali and Lukia Nassali, local traders in the area. He started his education at Gangu Muslim PS in 2005, where he obtained aggregate seven at Primary Leaving Examination. In his last year of primary school, he was unable to afford fees, until the school offered him a waiver to allow him to register for national exams.
However, even after this, his family could not afford to send him to a school fitting his achievements, until he was offered a four-year bursary by Nansana SS. Even at O-level it was hard for him to keep up, as his family ensured that he had the bare minimum, on top of the bursary.
Due to his circumstances, Fauzi was determined to succeed.
“I put God first in everything I did, engaged in group discussions with fellow students, as well as consulting with both students and teachers,” he adds.
All this paid off, and he obtained, aggregate 16 at O-level, enough to gain admission to Kibuli SS.
Joining Kibuli SS proved to be a bold gamble. For starters, his family could not afford all the school requirements. It would have been hard for him to complete his studies, if it had not been for an uncle based in Japan, who also sent the tuition fees on time. Fauzi also notes the support of one of his teachers, Hajji Siraje Katantazi.
“He always encouraged us to perform well and gave us stories of successful persons which inspired me to read and achieve my goal,” he adds.
Despite their modest support, Fauzi is also grateful to his parents.
“My parents have been giving me everything that I needed in my studies such as textbooks, paying school fees in time and also teachers have been reminding me all the time to perform well,” he relates. “So, I resolved to do my best, not to embarrass them.”
TEACHER COMPETITION
Fauzi’s efforts also coincided with a move by the school’s head teacher, Ali Mugagga, to inspire the teachers, with a competition. The teachers, whose students passed well enough would get cash prizes, among others.
As the school’s director of Studies, Hajji Ahmed Kijjambu Kaddu, explains. “The head teacher set up a competition among teachers and this helped produce the best results, while also motivating the students to work hard,” he explains.
Kijjambu Kaddu explained that the resulting teamwork helped improve the school’s performance last year. He explains that the syllabus was completed in the first term, leaving the last two terms for revision. Consequently, Kijjambu Kaddu says they intend to replicate the formula this year.
“We plan to re-establish ourselves as one of the best schools in the country,” he adds emphatically.
As Kijjambu Kaddu waxes lyrical about his school, Fauzi maintains a smile on his face, looking forward to life at Makerere University. “It is the start of big things to come!” he says.
