This year, Pangbourne College has donated £13,000 to support projects at Nabugabo Community Learning Centre (NCLC) in Uganda. £8,000 of the funds have recently been used to create a new examination hall. It is now open and ready for pupils to return to school in January 2022 after being closed due to Covid restrictions. The remaining £5,000 will be used to support pupils moving onto secondary school.

The new examination hall enables pupils to take primary school learning exams in a familiar environment as they prepare for the reopening. Currently, pupils travel a long distance to sit their exams at another school.  

The Pangbourne Centenary Charity funded £5,000 of the donation. The money has enabled recently graduated NCLC pupils to continue their education at St Kizito, a local secondary School. 

Pangbourne College works alongside HUGE, a charity based in Pangbourne which has been set up to make a difference to children in Uganda. It specifically provides financial and resource support to the NCLC.

Caroline Bond, Assistant Head Pupil Mental Health at Pangbourne College explains, “We’ve had a partnership with HUGE and the NCLC now for over a decade and have helped with various projects over the years. We’re so pleased to see our recent donation pay for this much needed examination centre, meaning children will no longer have to travel miles to sit exams. We’re also delighted to see that pupils who have graduated will also benefit from the funds donated, enabling them to continue their valuable education into secondary school.”

Melanie Batten, Trustee at The Huge Partnership further explains, “Ugandan law insists that all children sitting the Primary Leaving Exam (public exams children have to sit before going to secondary School) take them in an authorised exam hall. Before the hall was built, children had to travel a long distance and stay at another school to sit their exams. The new exam hall is also an excellent space for additional class facilities, community interaction and a quiet place for well-being meetings.”

In normal times the College organises a trip to Uganda every two years with around 40 pupils. Spending three weeks in the area, everyone gets involved in vital local projects. The College is hoping to run the next trip in 2023.