Ejang champions debate, public speaking at St Katherine SS
By Patrick Okino
Stella Ejang of St Katherine Secondary School in Lira City is not only a classroom teacher but also a passionate debate patron, mentor, and guide who consistently leads her students to excel in debating competitions.
Under her stewardship, the school has repeatedly outperformed competitors, earning trophies and medals. Although the debate club already existed when she arrived, Ejang revitalized it with a clear vision — to expose learners to broader opportunities and higher standards of competition.
Grace Angucarach, the senior woman teacher, reaffirmed Ejang’s outstanding contribution.
“She is a mentor, a guide, and an example to students because when you are training learners, you need to be exemplary,” Angucarach said.
She added that Ejang dedicates significant time to training students, encouraging them to research thoroughly and demonstrate excellence in competitions.
Ejang, 40, was posted by the Ministry of Education and Sports to St Katherine in 2018. She found the debate club active but lacking exposure and strong results.
She immediately introduced structured debate formats such as the Karl Popper and World Schools formats. She began by organizing inter-class competitions and friendly tournaments with neighboring schools before pushing for participation in regional and national competitions.
Since then, the school has accumulated 20 debate trophies.
“The debate club was there but students were not exposed outside,” Ejang said. “I embarked on training them in new debate formats to strengthen their skills.”
Angucarach noted that Ejang’s contribution extends beyond debate. She drafts plays for Music, Dance, and Drama, advises learners on speech delivery, and helps refine performances.
Ejang began her teaching career in 2010 at Mukono College, later joining Kakungulu Memorial in 2012. She was appointed debate patron and began training students in debate and public speaking.
In 2014, she joined Rwambara Secondary School, where she served as debate patron, deputy headteacher, and head of the English and Literature department until 2017. She was transferred to St Katherine in 2018.
Since her arrival, St Katherine has excelled in both local and national debate competitions.
Ejang trains students consistently, starting from Senior One, equipping them with strong knowledge of debate formats, rules, and strategies.
“I sacrifice my evening time to train them when they are still young,” she said. “The culture continues because those I train pass on assignments and research tasks to others.”
She frequently organizes inter-class competitions and ensures the school participates in regional tournaments to keep students competitive.
Due to its success, debate has been integrated into other clubs, including agribusiness, environmental and climate-smart clubs, scouts, Music, Dance and Drama, and the science fair.
Acen Lea Hope, a Senior Three student, described Ejang as a dedicated mentor who has helped many students overcome fear of public speaking.
Margaret Akello, the headteacher, praised Ejang’s passion and commitment.
“This club is vibrant and has helped develop learners’ talents, especially their ability to reason and make valid judgments,” she said. “It has positively impacted academic achievement.”
Patrick Olwit, the Lira District Inspector of Schools, acknowledged the school’s consistent performance.
“The trend shows that there is someone behind this success, and we are very happy about that,” he said.
Beyond debate, Ejang is authoring a book titled Best Approaches to New Curriculum Tasks, scheduled for launch in 2026. The book aims to guide learners in tackling English tasks such as summary writing, comprehension, functional writing, and creative writing.
“It is a new innovation to facilitate learning of English and Literature,” she said.
She is also spearheading a school greening project where students recycle plastic bottles into useful items such as dresses, dustbins, and pen holders.
“Students don’t look at waste as waste but as raw materials,” she explained.
Ejang believes debate strengthens research and critical thinking skills that benefit academic performance.
“I train them how to deliver a speech and how to win a debate. These are lifelong skills,” she said.
Although the school offers athletics, football, volleyball, Music, Dance and Drama, and other co-curricular activities, Ejang focuses primarily on debate and public speaking, despite having played volleyball at national level herself.
Ejang hopes to further her education by pursuing a Master’s degree in Humanities and eventually a PhD.
One of her major challenges has been changing the mindset of some teachers who view co-curricular activities as distractions from academics.
By organizing structured timetables balancing academics and debate, she has demonstrated that students can excel in both. Notably, the top A-Level students last year scored 18 and 17 points — and they were debaters.
“Debate widened their minds and made them research deeper,” she said.
Born in Oyam District in 1984, Ejang attended Mbarara Municipal Primary School (1992–1998), Wanyange Girls (2000–2004), and Makerere University (2005–2009).
She has taught at Mukono College, Kakungulu Memorial, Rwambara Secondary School, and currently St Katherine Secondary School.
Golden Tips
To become a good teacher, Ejang advises:
- Research extensively
- Be knowledgeable about your subject
- Guide students consistently
- Be tolerant and patient with learners
Through passion, dedication, and innovation, Stella Ejang continues to shape confident speakers, critical thinkers, and future leaders at St Katherine Secondary School.
