Joshua Tendo Mwanje sold charcoal to pay his school fees but still emerged among the top performers in the final exams.
The bright boy was worried that his education had reached a premature end as he could not raise the required funds to continue.
He emotionally broke down and cried when the director of his former school offered to support him through college.
Joshua Tendo Mwanje, one of Uganda’s top performers in last year’s Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), has been admitted to St Mary’s College Kisubi (SMACK).
PLE is an exam administered by the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) at the end of primary school to assess students’ knowledge and understanding of the curriculum.
Mwanje, who once sold charcoal to pay his fees, managed to sit the critical final primary exams and score an Aggregate 4.
Mwanje’s ray of hope Despite scoring impressively, Daily Monitor notes that the youngster was worried his education would stall due to a lack of fees.
In a heartwarming turn of events, Mwanje was given a lifeline when he received a bursary from the director of his former primary school.
Accompanied by his mother, grandmother, and the director, Mwanje arrived at SMACK yesterday, overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. “I feel so happy; this is all due to God’s favour,” he expressed, his eyes gleaming with determination.
A mother’s prayer His mother, Ms Hellen Namutebi, barely able to contain her emotions, expressed gratitude to the school administration for the scholarship opportunity.
“I am very happy and grateful to Brother Simon Mpanga, SMACK head teacher, for giving my son a scholarship from S1 to S6 for free,” she said.
The overjoyed mother encouraged her son to continue being a well-disciplined student as he has been and to listen to the teachers.
She also prayed for him to keep being knowledgeable to succeed like he did in primary school. “I want to be the best student and succeed in all my studies to become a cardiologist,” Mwanje promised.