KAMPALA: Students and staff of Sumayya Girls High School in Nsangi, Wakiso District are celebrating a major infrastructure upgrade after the school received and invested the grand prize it won in the 10th edition of the Stanbic National Schools Championship.
The school used part of the prize money to pave sections of its compound, transforming walkways that had for years become muddy and difficult to navigate, especially during the rainy season.
For a long time, the school had planned to pave the compound to improve accessibility and beautify the environment. However, the project had repeatedly been postponed due to competing priorities and limited funding.
That changed after the school emerged winner of the “Battle of Champions” edition of the entrepreneurship and innovation competition organized by Stanbic Bank Uganda.
A Life-Changing Prize Package
Following their victory, the school received a comprehensive prize package including UGX 20 million in business capital, UGX 5 million in institutional support, two laptops, and UGX 2 million for the patron teacher.
The winning students and their mentor were also rewarded with a fully funded learning trip to South Africa valued at UGX 50 million.During the trip, they visited the headquarters of Standard Bank Group, the parent company of Stanbic Bank Uganda, and toured the Standard Bank Group Heritage Centre in Johannesburg. The experience also included visits to Soweto, the historic home of celebrated anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela among other destinations.
The school has also received an additional UGX 20 million for winning the “Vote Your Champion” popular vote, a special category created to mark the 10th anniversary celebrations. Voting in this category was open to the general public and took place during the months of January and February. Summayya Girls High School garnered the largest number of votes, surpassing all eight finalists.
Innovation That Won the Prize
Sumayya Girls impressed judges with their UroCare UTI Detector, an innovation designed to detect and test for urinary tract infections (UTIs). The project addresses a common but often overlooked health challenge affecting many young girls.
According to Jamimah Kutesa, one of the student innovators, the solution aims to provide affordable and accessible testing services, particularly for school-going girls who often struggle to access such healthcare due to limited information and financial constraints.
The Wakiso-based school out competed other finalists namely, Mentor Secondary School, with their Patient Monitoring System; Ibanda Secondary School, with their eco-friendly Koffia Candles; St. Noa Mawaggali SSS, with their mobility innovation, Snoams Walk Mate; and Comboni College Lira, with their electric generator, among othersto clinch the championship title.
Ali Lwanga, Head of Sales at Stanbic Bank Uganda said that the competition is not just about more than winning prizes.
She said the initiative provides a platform for students to unlock ideas, transform learning environments and prepare a new generation of Ugandans to become job creators rather than job seekers.
Uganda’s youthful population presents both an opportunity and a challenge. About 70 percent of the population is under the age of 30, yet youth unemployment remains high.
Programs like the Stanbic National Schools Championship seek to address this gap by complementing the Ministry of Education’s competence-based curriculum through equipping students with entrepreneurial and innovation skills before they leave school.
The Stanbic National Schools Championship (NSC) has made a significant impact on Uganda’s education and entrepreneurial landscape over the past decade, shifting from a simple quiz competition to a major skilling program. Running for 10 years now, the initiative has reached close to 600,000 students and teachers, facilitating the creation of over 200 youth-led businesses.
According to Diana Ondoga, Head of Corporate Social Investment at Stanbic Bank Uganda, the competition reflects the bank’s broader positive-impact agenda aimed at supporting national transformation, with a focus on women, youth, and farmers.
“As an entity, our purpose is ‘Uganda is our home and we drive her growth.’ Therefore the National Schools Championship initiative aligns with the bank’s core strategic pillars of financial inclusion, job creation, infrastructure development, climate resilience, and corporate philanthropy,” she said.
Applications for New Edition Open
As Stanbic Bank Uganda celebrates 35 years of operations in Uganda, the bank has opened applications for the 11th edition of the championship under the theme “Powering Innovation for Job Creation.”
Secondary and vocational schools across the country have until March 29 to submit their applications through the bank’s digital platforms and the National Schools Championship portal.
