Berkley Center

Background: As part of the Education and Social Justice Project, in June 2012 undergraduate Shea Houlihan interviewed Sr. Joan Antimango of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a teacher at OCER Campion Jesuit College in Uganda. In this interview Sr. Antimango discusses the advantages of working at a religious boarding school, the needs of students with diverse educational backgrounds, and the impact of past violence on students.

Can you tell me about your journey to your present position, and how you were inspired to do the work that you do? How long have you been in northern Uganda?

My congregation, the Sisters of the Sacred Heart, sent me here to work at OCER. My superiors were waiting for someone with the qualifications to be placed here. I have a bachelor’s [degree] in education. I made my application, and it was accepted.

I first worked with Sudanese refugees with [Jesuit Refugee Service, JRS] at Jinja. As I was working with them, I was involved with the youth apostolate. I worked with the children. I carried with social justice. By then I had no document to do it. I felt maybe that if I became a teacher, I would be able to get closer to the children. When I went back to high school—I went back after JRS—I should pursue a course that would help me reach these children. I went for my bachelor’s [degree] in 2008, at Uganda Martyrs University.

Describe to me the state of education in this community, Gulu, from your point of view. What are the positive aspects? What are the challenges?

There are many good things. 

• The number of students per class is manageable. Being a boarding school, we get plenty of time with the students. ​
• Another advantage is we have a good structure in the classrooms.
• The presence of the priests who help us celebrate the sacraments is very important, even if it is not for the person who is not a Christian. The values that the priests remind us of day-by-day are very important.
• The school encourages students to do agriculture. Children can learn how to appreciate their own talent. They get some pocket money—they are encouraged to become self-reliant. That is very special. 
• The school also encourages commerce. Commerce is production. Someone has to know that whatever activity you are doing is for the good of yourself and for the good of society. Are you able to use resources to satisfy your needs, sustain you and those of society?
• The technology and structures are amazing. The existing projects are great, so you know it is not just a school. It’s a home, an industry, a farm, a school—all of that is very enriching.

The biggest challenge is that it is a new school. When it’s young, accomplishing anything requires trying something new. Another challenge is the range of educational backgrounds. Trying to fit them for tests is difficult. We start helping them from the beginning, but there is a huge advancement between the first and second terms.

What does OCER offer that other schools in northern Uganda cannot offer? What do you think educators elsewhere in Uganda can learn from OCER’s example?

OCER is very special. The first special thing is the financial support. Many students are supported by OCER—that is a huge source of support.

Other educators can learn from our teacher-student relationships, this mutual relationship. Because of the population size, we have comparatively very few students. Many staff members live on this community as well; we eat together, share Mass together. Those of us who stay are with them all the time. We always keep in mind that they have been affected by violence—one is always attuned to lend his or her ear to students.

I understand that many students, if not all students, at OCER have been directly or indirectly affected by two decades of violence. Does this affect your classroom teaching and, if so, how?

We have to consider the fact that the students have undergone difficulties. It is a struggle always to help them discover that they have a future now that they have to focus on.

How to balance educational backgrounds? I try to learn the names of the students—you have to know them very well. I try to learn if they have both parents. I have to share with them my own experience. Once I know who this child is, I have to give them a chance to express themselves. Some of them have self-esteem issues; you have to push them to express themselves and open up. They have to feel that they are important.

Are you ever worried, for yourself and your students, about violence spilling over from the Democratic Republic of the Congo or South Sudan?

This last month when Sudan was shaky, I had some worries. When we still see violence within the country, which implies the presence of rebels and gunmen, we still have to fear and worry. Even here, we have to ask ourselves, “Are we safe?” I was personally affected by rebel activity when I was with the Sudanese refugees.

Broadly speaking, what do you think is the role of education in peacebuilding and reconstruction?

Students come from different backgrounds, so that aspect of education brings people from different regions. Already students are realizing that "That other region/other group/other tribe is not as bad as I thought." They learn to stay together, forgetting the quarrels and fights they have seen. They realize they can stay together in the future, just like the motto, “Learn, Serve, and Love.” If we help them to understand this motto, then that is the role that education can play, bringing people together from different backgrounds.

We have a debate in which students can say the good things and bad things about war. Their minds are broadening. We are see in school, but we have suffered from war. Debates are a common practice in all secondary schools, even in some primary schools. When topics are brought in line with the current situation, each child is reasoning and supporting and not supporting.

What are your hopes for the children that you teach?

My hope for them is that they should be better people than even myself. They should be God-fearing and then they can use the skills they learn. I want them to excel in academic terms and in practical work. I want to be able to say, “I am proud that this is my student.”