John Mary Kyagulanyi, 21

John, 21, is one of seven children raised by a single mother in Buloba. John excelled in primary school, but had difficulties in secondary school; the school was expensive and the teaching was inadequate. He went searching for other schools that offered quality education and low fees and he found PEAS Onwards and Upwards school. Through their bursary program, John was able to pay for the remainder of his secondary education and he excelled, graduating with some of the highest grades in his class.

“Onwards and Upwards is a great school. They have a wonderful fee structure and unlike other schools, they do not turn you away if you cannot pay. I was able to work out a fee schedule with our headmaster and enrolled into school. I attended Onwards and Upwards for S5 and S6. My favorite subject was Economics.”

Asked why else the PEAS school was so great, John replied: “The teachers and the headmaster are wonderful. They understand and listen to the students. I also love how all of the PEAS schools are so cooperative and really act like a community; no other schools have that social behavior. For example, there was an English competition across the entire PEAS network, which allowed students to meet students and teachers from other schools. It was wonderful”

Due to John’s outstanding grades in secondary school, PEAS awarded him a bursary for University, funded by The Laura Case Trust. He is currently at Makerere University in his 2nd semester of his first year.

“I am currently studying education because I want to be a teacher. I would love to be a teacher or Headmaster at PEAS. I want to use my knowledge to help others; I have always wanted to help others. I have gone back to Onwards and Upwards to do some teaching and I was so proud of the work.

University is challenging. I live 20km away from University, which makes it expensive to get to and from school and to pay for food and photocopying. It is hard to focus on studying sometimes when you don’t know how you will pay to get to school the next day. I wish I could live at University, but I work hard to find time to revise my books and get my work done. I do like my teachers and course units very much.”

Finally, when asked why education is so important, John replied:

“I believe education is so important because it will enlighten your life; you cannot do anything without it. I feel as though I have a bright future because of my education. I would like to continue with my education all the way to the very top of the academic ladder. This would not have been possible without PEAS; they not only enlightened my life, they saved it. Before PEAS, I was not known in my village; now I am someone.”