A normal day at Gayaza High School started with the beating of a big drum by Semeyi Bbugutanya – the Gatekeeper and Headman. The time would be around 5.30-6.00 a.m. The girls would then file out to the Common Room for prayers. After prayers, we made our beds, washed our faces and brushed our teeth.
Timetable
- 5:00am: Mr. Bugutanya beat the drum. Matron or one of us was to lead the prayers. Then we took out the potties and washed them and cleaned the teeth.
- 6:00am: Another drum was beaten to alert us to go to dig in the gardens, others to prepare food or to gather firewood.
- 7:30am: Washing and dressing
- 8:00am: School day began. Uniforms were kept in the classrooms.
Lessons taught
Bible, English, Drama and Singing, Arithmetic, Geography, History, General Knowledge, Hygiene, Housewifery. Afternoons were given to sewing, knitting, darning, bread and cake making and traditional handcrafts.
Those whose turn it was to cook left class at 10.30am to prepare the midday meal for 12.30. Each house had its own banana and other foods plantations, and each house cooked its food and ate separately. On special days, like Christmas and Easter, we were given meat. Groundnut sauce, which is very good now in Uganda, had not yet been very common. It became common and popular at Gayaza during Miss Corby’s time.
After the meal, a half hour’s rest, before afternoon lessons. 4.00am roll call and giving of “progress and shortcomings points”
- 6:00pm Back to the dormitory, wash dress up and eat dinner.
- 7:30pm Evening Prayers, led by the members of staff in turns.
- 8:30pm Those who had bad report or marks would be apprehended or warned or advised.”
- 9:30pm Lights out. “No talking. If there were talking in the dormitory, the whole members of the dormitory would be sent to live in the hut near the church.
.