1.0 Introduction
I warmly welcome you to the 28th Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) Annual General Meeting. Allow me to extend a special welcome to all the new parents, guardians and teachers who are attending this meeting for the first time.

Core value number one of this school is “Godliness”. I thank God for having kept us alive, for the achievements we have made and the lessons we have learnt from the challenges we face. During the AGM, we take time to reflect on the past year (history), assess our status position (current) and discuss the plan for the coming year (future). However, the schedule we currently have where the AGM is held in the seventh or eighth month of the year remains a challenge.

Nevertheless, we will in today’s meeting focus on the following: Receive and discuss reports on what transpired during the last year.

• Receive, discuss and agree on the plans for the next year.
• Receive a personal development talk.

2.0 The Year 2008
2.1 Appreciation
At the last AGM you elected us to be your executive arm and to represent you at all fora. I am happy to inform you that we have done just what you asked of us. We have held Executive Committee meetings every school term, attended all the Academic and Finance, Works and Development Committee meetings, participated in various school activities and gladly represented you on the Board of Governors.

Let me take this opportunity to thank all the PTA Executive Committee members for having meticulously supported me during the past year. I greatly appreciate the school management, the entire staff, the Headmistress and her two Deputies for having smoothly steered the Gayaza High School “ship” throughout the year. To you parents and guardians we are greatly indebted for the unreserved support you have given us and the school during the past year.

2.2 Achievements
At the last AGM we agreed to pay an extra one hundred thousand shillings (100,000) per child to cover the deficit of 2007, cater for the budget deficit of 2008 and construct a new toilet to be used whenever the school hosted us. This collection was blessed by the Board of Governors and indeed was honoured by you. We are very grateful to you for this support which enabled us achieve all the three issues and to the school management that supervised the construction work.

Secondly, I wish to thank the Committee that we put in place at the last meeting, to study and complete the Constitution of the Gayaza High School Students Benevolent Fund. This committee chaired by Mr Mike Chibita completed the task and the Board of Governors approved the Constitution. The onus is now upon us to appoint three (3) current parents/guardians who will represent us on the Board of Trustees of this Fund which is the administrative and executive organ of the Fund.

The School bought a new water pump and installed it at the old bore hole at Makenke. This will be used as a standby in case of breakdown of the currently used bole hole. It will be used to supply water once in a while to keep the water route active. Thanks to the Board of Governors who financed this activity.

Special thanks to the teachers who have kept up the momentum and have worked tirelessly to keep the high academic standard of the school. We congratulate them on the achievement of good UCE and UACE results of 2008. They have gone ahead and evaluated the system in place, set new strategies that are currently being implemented to enable us reach greater heights and are continuously monitoring progress.

On your behalf, I wish to thank the non-teaching staff for their work and dedication to the school.

2.3 The Present
Rising costs of food and other commodities has continued to be a challenge to the school. The school administration has managed this with minimal changes to the diet. Despite the increased inflation rate, which is now a two-figure, we have not been able to increase the teachers PTA allowance for over five years now neither have we been able to address the two tier salary schedule. This remains one of the major challenges we are faced with.

This school which started in 1905 with four pupils has developed a formidable physical infrastructure over the past century and endeavoured to maintain it in relatively good condition. Facilities originally meant to cater for 500 boarding students are now accommodating over 1,000 students. Laboratory facilities are no longer sufficient to give the girls effective training in science subjects. Maintaining and developing the physical infrastructure remains a challenge.

For example, the laboratory block housing the Physics, Chemistry and Biology laboratories was built in the mid sixties with space to cater for class population of 35 O-level and 25 A-level students per stream but now caters for 50 and 63 students per stream respectively. The current A-level classes stand at 90 students for Physics, 58 for Chemistry and 39 for Biology.

Another example is the uncompleted classroom block construction which was started six years ago in 2003 but stalled at the ground floor. The Finance, Works and Development Committed has embarked on establishing the status of the various infrastructures that required attention, secure cost estimates, prioritize and make recommendations to the Board and this August Assembly for the way forward.

However, there is an urgent need to revamp the plumbing system in the Chemistry laboratory. This needs to be done before the commencement of this year’s UNEB examinations scheduled to start in October 2009. The estimated cost for this work is Sh. 25 million.

Regarding the uncompleted classroom block, the Finance, Works and Development Committee has secured approval of the plans and is in the process of securing bills of quantities and other requirements needed to secure approval of the Ministry of Education. In the near future we will be communicating to you the progress.

Core value number two of Gayaza High School is “to have respect for self, others, property, the environment and its scenic beauty”. However, one of the challenges we have faced this year is the littering of the compound on visiting days. When we do this, we erode the very core values that we set out to guide us. I therefore humbly request you all to clean up the area you use on visiting days. This way we will be able to keep the scenic beauty of the school we all love.

Let me take this opportunity to remind you that it is important to attend school meetings and other activities. We have noted that some parents are neglecting this responsibility. Our personal presence on class days, sports day, GAPA, visiting days and PTA AGM contribute greatly to the development of our children. I want to congratulate all parents and guardians who religiously attend these meetings.

2.4 Future Plans
This year, the school theme is “Unleashing the Potential in Me”. In this spirit we need to reflect on the Gayaza High School Vision of “An empowered, resourceful and God-fearing community” and the Mission “To deliver, professionally, quality education based on a strong Christian foundation in order to produce girls competent for leadership”.

As we discuss the proposed plans for the future, I wish to draw your attention to yet another two of the six core values of the School “to have determination, diligence and endurance in all aspects of life” and “to shine in all that we do”.

I have no doubt that we, the PTA of Gayaza High school have the potential to address the challenges we face. We will have to be innovative and proactive so as to raise the necessary resources required to develop this school’s infrastructure. We shall set big goals and endeavour to break them down into smaller achievable tasks. We shall have to make and commit ourselves to certain adjustments for the goals to become a reality.

It is in the above spirit that the PTA Executive Committee proposes that we focus on the following:

Short-term
• Revamping of the Chemistry laboratory plumbing system.
• Increase number of apparatus in science laboratories.
• Installation of the solar panels in the dormitories.
• Construction of the changing rooms, showers and toilets at the swimming pool.

Long-term
• Completion of the classroom block.
• Increasing laboratory space.

3.0 Appeal
The PTA Executive Committee together with the School Administration wishes to appeal to all of you parents, guardians, alumni of this great school, body corporate and well wishers to contribute generously to wards the following:

• Renovation of the plumbing system of the Chemistry laboratory

• Purchase of apparatus for use in the science laboratories

• Installation of the already acquired solar power panels in the dormitories.

Once again I wish to thank all the school administration and the entire staff for the work they do. Special thanks to individual parents, guardians and well wishers who have donated various gifts and in one way or another contributed to the development of the school. We pay tribute to the many volunteers, the 19 medical doctors and counsellors, the engineers and lawyers who have extended pro-bono services to the school. I thank you all for the positive criticism that we receive.

Thank You Very much.

4.0 Conclusion
Allow me to conclude with two quotations:“You want to set a goal that is big enough that in the process of achieving it you become someone worth becoming”.
Jim Rohn

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into smaller manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one”.
Mark Twain

Let us now go forth and “Unleash the Potential in Us!” to develop this school

Never Give Up!

Florence N. Masembe Kasirye
Chairman – Gayaza High School PTA                                                       Back to top^