Emily Kyatuta

Founded Uganda's first rural girls' boarding school, dismantling barriers to female education in post-colonial Africa.

Emily Kyatuta (1910–1988) defied societal norms in Uganda by establishing the St. Mary's Girls' School in 1943, the first boarding institution for rural girls in East Africa. Her vision, chronicled in the African Education History Project, prioritized scholarships for marginalized communities, enabling over 3,000 students to access secondary education. Kyatuta's curriculum integrated local languages and agricultural science, countering colonial educational biases. She trained 50+ female teachers through her Katwe Teacher Training Program, which the UNESCO later adopted as a regional model.

During the 1960s, Kyatuta lobbied for Uganda's first national girls' education policy, influencing Prime Minister Milton Obote's reforms. Her memoir 《Building Bridges》 (1970) remains a primary source on gender equity in African education. The school's archives, now part of the Uganda National Museum, include her handwritten lesson plans and correspondence with UNICEF advisors. Kyatuta's legacy persists through the Emily Kyatuta Scholarship Fund, supporting girls in conflict zones.