CRANMER KALINDA A GREAT EDUCATOR

Cranmer Kalinda was an educator, Education Administrator, Policy maker, Trainer, facilitator and an Author who retired a politician at a rank of an RDC. His authorship talent has impacted many scholars and educators with the uses of his books in both English and Luganda languages. The educationist passed on at Nakasero Hospital on Saturday 5th August 2017 at 82 years after battling with ulcer cancer and heart related healthy complications for almost 5 years.
Cranmer was widely known for authoring books in both Luganda and English for use in secondary and primary levels of education. He is remembered for his Bazibumbira, Paulo-Kiyita and Kirimuttu which are widely used for teaching comprehension in Luganda offering students at O-Level.
He also authored other books like Uganda Primary English Course with 7 course books, Joined JA Bright as a co Author to the Junior Composition and Grammar.
With his talent, helped to translate the widely read political book “Animal Farm” of George Orwell into Luganda terming it as “Amaka Gabawansolo”.
The parted comrade was born on 21st January 1935 at Lule – Ssemuto in Nakaseke District at a time it was under the Great Bulemezi. He Joined Kyambogo when Kyambogo was still an NTC where he obtained a certificate in teaching primary.
Since he was a supper student, he secured a bursary to study in Britain where he did a Diploma and on return, was appointed Head teacher at Mengo C/U Primary School.
He resigned his Job after a short time and enrolled into Makerere University for a degree in Education. After Makerere, he joined Ibadan University in Nigeria for a Masters degree in Education Planning. When Cranmer returned in Uganda, he was appointed to work with NCDC a body charged with designing the curriculum followed by primary and Secondary schools. He was elevated to the position of Deputy Director and was at NCDC for close to 20 years.
He resigned and retired earier than his official age from NCDC to join politics starting as a counselor for Makindye in the Kampala District Local Council during Mr. Christopher Iga‟s Tenure as Mayor. He later sought for a bigger position in the 1998 local council elections emerging as Makindye Division Chairperson where he is remembered for leading to;-
 the Establishment of Bukasa Primary School which was under grass thatched structures and Kansanga Primary School which was under a tree
 the establishment of Kirudu Hospital which he started as a sub grade healthy centre to offer basic medical services to his electorates, among other programs implemented
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He often talked of his appointment as an RDC as something that caught him a surprise as he had never anticipated about and that the news found him in a taxi heading to Kampala with the first congratulatory message by a taxi conductor who knew him and had sat next to him upon hearing the afternoon news bulletin from CBS radio. He was RDC at a time Mr. Kizito Ssebana was Kampala city Mayor.
Cranmer was a social character who was commonly known as „Musomesa’ literally meaning a teacher to many of his neighbours and locals. He died a satisfied educator and appreciated his well spent life with which he had decided to summarize in a book entitled “Dawn at Dusk” to mean Life begins at retirement he left in blue print.
We cherish of you comrade for the great contribution you made to especially the learning of English and Luganda in both our primary and secondaryschools and will always stand to remember you. We pray that God RestsYour Soul In Peace

Qualities of a great teacher

The top five qualities of a great teacher, according to students, are:

• The ability to develop relationships with their students. ...
• Patient, caring, and kind personality. ...
• Knowledge of learners. ...
• Dedication to teaching. ...
• Engaging students in learning

VIOLA NALUWOOZA 

A 

GREAT EDUCATOR

When I slowed down to park at Lady Valeria to discuss the content of this write-up with Viola, I
heard a 19 – 22 years lad shouting “Eno yaffe, njesose”. I was surprised! Immediately I parked
the car. The boy approached and said, “Mukulu, you have a flat tyre”. I hadn‟t realized this. He
assured me not to worry that they were to electify the problem shortly and that I just needed to
authorize them. I left the boy who engaged others to quicken the wheel spanner and car jerk as I
entered to continue with business. When I came out, everything was perfect. He thanked me for
allowing him to practice his skills on my car.

 I was so much moved.
Those are some of the endless stories of vocational helping hand in the 500 meters radius around
Lady Valeria Business and Vocational Institute Matugga. Here is Viola Naluwooza Ndaula the
brain behind this venture
Viola was born on 30th November 1967 to the late Yozefu Ssemagobwe and Rosa Nakayanja in a
family of over 20 children where she is the last.
She comes from Nsozibbiri, Katikamu Sub county in Luweero District. She studied in Naluvule
Primary School just after Lukomera towards Luwero town where she sat her – P7 in 1980. She
was appointed a prefect because she used to come very early at school. Since she used to fear her
friends and because of low self-esteem, instead of commanding her subordinates to pick the
compound, she used to pick the compound herself and because of this, she had failed leadership.
The staff justified her demotion with 6 canings on the assembly but she was happy about this
move.
She then joined Bombo Secondary School in 1981 having scored 236 out of 300 marks in PLE.
Her dream was to join Kings College Budo but her headmaster despised and doubted her
performance and thought she couldn‟t perform well and therefore discouraged her. She was in
day section coming from her sister‟s home (M/s Ngambe) for school. She remembers studying S
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1 for only 2 terms because the 1980 examinations results were released late because of the
political instability in the country that interfered with UNEB processes.
She joined Makerere College School in S2 – S6. On joining a boarding school, she was teased of
her wooden suitcase and the funny shoes she wore but later; these students from well to do
families sympathized with her situation of a Luweero war torn family. Because of her good
performance, she secured a school bursary which relieved the family off fees debts after the war
affected the family finances. She secured basic needs like vaseline, soap, and other personal
needs from her friends which she paid back by washing their clothes.
While on holiday in S3, her father passed on due to natural causes. They went to burry in a war
tension situation and she says the army was present to find out the cause of the death. They
checked the body of her father and says immediately after burial, bullets started which dispersed
the funnel gathering and they ran for refuge in Luweero township for fear of their life.
While in Luweero town, the armed forces used to defile young girls, Viola used to dress a
Gomesi (Traditional ware for Women) and veiled to pretend as if she was an old woman as an
escape means.
She went back to school and did her S 4 and S6 at Makerere College. Her results at S6 were
good and she secured admission at Makerere University Department of Language to study
Luganda and Linguistics.
While at Makerere, she was among the financially disturbed students and spent most of her time
in books because of her financial inability to attend university social functions. She said she had
a similar financially disturbed background with her University room mate Neema Nakyanjo who
turned to be her best friend since 1987 to date.
While in university, she got related to Engeneer Ndaula who was finalizing with his University
Corse. Engineer Ndaula started to work for the University and when Viola finalized her studies,
she married the Engineer. After some time while at home, she looked for a job and started
working for Ngabo publishers Newspaper for 3 months. She was not paid and so she left the job.
She sat home for some more time but while walking on the University compound, she met her
university lecturer the Late Dr. Kasaina Matovu who asked her what she was doing. She
encouraged her to apply for a teaching job as a Teaching Assistant. She was appointed and she
started teaching in 1992 Feb at Makerere University until 2006.
She became disappointed when she was not promoted. She was advised by her bosses to upgrade
for a Masters to secure a promotion. She did a master but still nothing came her way. She was
told to do a PHD for a promotion and she embarked on it but dropped the idea after realizing she
was studying because of pressures, frustration and external factors but not because of love,
choice, free will and passion.
She developed the idea of a vocation institute when she was involved in a project in Rubaga
Division as a facilitator which was introduced in the university to help under privileged children.
While working on the project, she realized many girls were dropping out of school and no one
could come in to help. She saw this as the way she could tap the opportunity to help this group of
people. She had bought the land but didn‟t know exactly how big her land was. She then shared
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jokingly with Mr. Mugerwa of Brethren College Secondary School – Matugga how she could
build a University. Mr Mugerwa advised her to think of a vocation Institution.
She then started building the structures and started with 2 building, but when she was about to
roof the 3rd block, she started advertising the institution using CBS Radio station. She opened in
2003 with 3 courses and one student “Yusufu Mukisa” who she says was not sure of what he
really wanted to study. Mukisa did accounting for 3 months crossed to Electric Engineering and
finalized in catering. I have named one block after my first student. Her vocation institution is
affiliated to Kyambogo University and UBTEB examines the students.
Viola says she has always been focused on her work and says she hates people who are not
focused, “How can somebody give me an Invitation card on Wednesday for a function scheduled
for Saturday and I attend?” That‟s not being serious. She continues to say that she loves people
who are creative and that education should change to produce job creators and not job seekers
and that what Lady Valeria produces. Viola is married to Eng Kaweesi Ndaula a businessman
and they have 3 children, she employs over 80 workers.

You can‟t talk about Uganda educationists and omit Fagil Mandy. The man who Introduced Cross Country In Uganda‟s schools  Composed the national schools prayer  Streamlined Inspections process in schools through introducing Minimum Standards for schools as commissioner at the Ministry of education  Headed Kitante Primary School at the age of 28 years Fagil is not sure of the month he was born but celebrates any Monday of his wish in November. He was born in a grass thatched house in Butulya village Kichwamba sub county on the foots of mountain Ruwenzori in Kabalore district by Mariam Nanfuka in 1948. He comes from a home of his grandmother whose uncles he confirms couldn‟t read nor write a clear manifestation of poverty. His father was Amir Afzal Khan a Muslim Pakistan who worked as a post master at Fort Portal post office. Fagil never saw his father in life. He is religiously silent but a Muslim by birth who was named Musa. He only saw a photo of his father standing with a hunting gun with his friend. He analyzed his father as a super performer who dressed a right cloth for a right job, and a far eastern origin that Africans believed are naturally wise people an insight that shaped him to be an extra ordinary individual. As a creative young man at the age of 15, he created the name Fagil to sound like his father‟s names. This name is nowhere else. Mandy attended Kyebando Primary School, Kyebando Erisa Primary School, Makerere CU P/S and Jinja Kaloli for Pri and went to Kalinabiri and Kisaasi Junior Schools before proceeding to Lubiri Secondary While at Lubiri he was class monitor for S1,2, and 3 and later head boy in S4 in 1967. In 1968, he was then admitted to National Teachers College Kyambogo for his Diploma in Education majoring in Physical Education and Science. Nine years later, he Joined Makerere on Mature Age Entry for his BA in Literature and English language. He owns a Masters in Drama studied at Leeds University UK in 1983 on British Council Scholarship. This great educationist used to wash his feet on the grass dew while in P3 – P6 to reach school with clean feet to avoid embarrassments on school health parades during inspections. Mandy‟s sports spirit was deeply influenced by Mr. Mabirizi, a National Football Team player of the 60s who was a village citizen neighbor and a celebrity the village was proud of. He is one of the eight teachers who were the first teacher trainees of Physical Education in the country. In 1970, he was posted to Nyondo Primary Teachers College as PE tutor, he was later transferred to Shimon Teachers College. While conducting a PE lesson to Students 3 years after his graduation, Late Mr. Kakooza the principal of Shimon TTC walked to him and whispered to him to end the lesson with immediate effect. He concluded the lesson and went to meet his boss who The Great Educators Journal 2017 Vol 1 Pg 24 introduced him to the Kampala District Education Officer who had come to pick him to go and administer Old Kampala Primary. From Old Kampala he was posted to Kampala Primary School and in 1977, posted to Kitante Primary School at the age of 28 where he introduced cross country that all schools do now days. Because Kitante Primary School was interreligious and parents complained of christian prayers said on assemblies, he composed a balanced prayer to harmonize this religious issue which later was adopted by the ministry as the national schools Prayer. Below is the prayer Look at me Oh God, As my heart silent all, To you all I turn, for the sins I have committed, I pray to be forgiven. In all that I have been good, I pray to be encouraged, For under your guidance oh God, Where all is peace I will be led. Not to sob but to rejoice, As my hand in yours lies Fagil has worked as a Residential District Commissioner of Kapchorwa, Tororo, Kabalore. He also worked as a lecture at Makerere University, Deputy Commissioner for Education and Commissioner for Inspection in the ministry of Education and Sports where he chaired a committee that set the minimum standards for inspectors to follow while inspecting schools. Fagil is married to Florence Nyakana Mandy with 6 children He has travelled across the world in countries like USA, UK, France, Denmark, Sweden, India, South Korea, North Korea, France, Denmark, Sweden, Thailand, Sudan, Austria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Libya, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Rwanda, The Democratic Republic of Congo and has visited atleast every district in Uganda either on official or on private businesses. He is a retired public civil servant now fully running his consultancy firm in education. He is the former UNEB chairperson who succeeded Prof. Lutalo Bbosa