THE ADONAI CENTRE
Adonai Junior School
Fostering Growth in the Classroom
Adonai Nursery School and the Adonai Junior School serve a combined 335 students. Despite the challenges of our student body, we are now considered a "premier school" in the area because of our outstanding student performance on national exams. Since 2010, Adonai Junior School has been able to maintain a high level of academic performance, with all students passing the primary leaving examinations to go onto secondary school.
When you visit Adonai Junior Primary School, you can't help but think it's like any other school around the world. The children study Math, History, Science, and English. They learn to read and write and to socialize with their peers. They learn some disciplines, but they also run and play. They enter sports competitions and have assemblies. At Christmas-time they have a concert and celebrate with singing, games, and treats. It's not just any primary school, however. Of the 335 students, 285 of them are orphaned or severely at-risk.
We do our best to ensure that our talented students have the opportunity to continue their education at the next level. We currently pay school fees and expenses for 110 secondary or vocational students, on top of the 335 children directly at school at Adonai, with the support of sponsors from around the world. Since it is hard to find references and scholastic material, the teachers at Adonai are very creative with their teaching styles. They are very passionate about their work and find that the unique environment and motivated students inspire them to do their best. Teachers also engage in co-curricular activities, training the students in the Music, Dance and Drama program, Physical Education, Crafting, Painting, and farming to ensure that the students can build up these other skills.
A Success Story
This is Juliet Nagirinya, from the Wakiso district in Uganda. In 2007, she joined Adonai Child Development Centre as a student under sponsorship. At that time, she was in primary four. It was a great opportunity and a big relief to her mum, who was struggling to raise tuition for her and her siblings. With this support, she was able to complete her primary education from Adonai Junior School with a first grade in the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE). She then joined secondary school at Kisozi High School in 2011, where Adonai programs continued to help with her tuition and expenses. After four years of secondary school, she continued her excellence and hard work. She received another first grade in the Uganda Certificate of Examination (UCE).
In 2015, she lost her beloved mother, who was the only wage earner in the family. Full of confusion, she mourned the loss of her mother with her siblings. Slowly, she returned to her studies, and with the help of Adonai, she decided on a career as a primary school teacher. Juliet joined Nakaseke Core Primary Teachers’ College where she received two years of training in primary school education. She finished and was ranked second in her class.
After graduating, she returned to Adonai Junior School and was offered a teaching job. She finds it fun to work with her former teachers. The head teacher placed her as the teacher of primary four. She has found dealing with children to be an exciting and amazing experience! She is grateful to God because now she can earn a living and support her brother, who is pursuing an electrical engineering course.
Her future plans involve upgrading to a diploma in Early Childhood Education. She thanks Adonai and her sponsor for the regular support that allowed her to become the responsible, accomplished adult she is today.