Image credit: Scott Jacobsen.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen is the publisher of In-Sight Publishing (ISBN: 978-1-0692343) and Editor-in-Chief of In-Sight: Interviews (ISSN: 2369-6885). He writes for The Good Men Project, The Humanist, International Policy Digest (ISSN: 2332-9416), Basic Income Earth Network (UK Registered Charity 1177066), A Further Inquiry, and other media. He is a member in good standing of numerous media organizations.
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The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organization, institution, or entity with which the author may be affiliated, including Humanists International.
Enginel B. Johnson (also known as Bwambale Johnson) is the founder of Hillside Nursery and Orphanage School, located in the mountainous region of Mount Rwenzori, Kasese, Uganda. The school was established to support orphans and children from impoverished families affected by numerous regional hardships. With over 300 children under his care, Johnson works tirelessly to provide food, education, and shelter despite limited resources. Previously supported by the late Lynda Tilley, the school now faces ongoing challenges securing necessities. Johnson remains committed to uplifting vulnerable children through compassion, education, and humanistic values.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: How do you define humanistic education?
Enginel B. Johnson: Humanistic education, also known as personal growth, focuses on emotional well-being, self-academic wisdom, and critical thinking skills.
Jacobsen: Why is it essential in the African context today?
Johnson: Humanistic education helps learners develop critical thinking, communication skills, and adaptability to new situations.
Still, it promotes learners to a broad interdisciplinary approach.
Jacobsen: What are the barriers to implementing humanistic education in African schools?
Johnson: I will mainly refer to Hillside Nursery and Orphanage. Implementation is complex because of gender discrimination, a poor learning environment, and scholastic materials (lacking classrooms, desks, and textbooks for teachers). Poverty has been the most significant barrier hindering the start, of course. Fewer teachers can act as volunteers for the unprivileged. Lastly, the area’s remoteness is another challenge.
Jacobsen: How can education support critical thinking, secularism, and ethical development?
Johnson: Of course, education can support critical thinking and secularism by encouraging evidence-based reasoning, free-thinking questions, and respect for all individuals.
Jacobsen: How do traditional African values and philosophies align with or challenge humanistic education?
Johnson: Traditional African values are used in a holistic approach to learning, using oral traditional and humanistic education based on evidence, so there’s a big gap between the two.
Still, Traditional Africans encourage their thoughts on man, God, and the universe, while humanistic education has no superstition.
Jacobsen: How are educators, activists, or institutions promoting or silencing humanistic education?
Johnson: Some educators and activists have come on the ground to see how humanistic education helps and performs, and here, many criticize, making free thinkers enemies and decampaigning humanistic projects on media and other platforms because they do not believe in religion, leading to a low number of free thinkers.
Jacobsen: What should be the role of governments and policymakers in fostering humanistic education?
Johnson: Not only governments and policymakers but also foreign organizations should come in and support humanistic education through building humanistic schools and other projects that can foster and limit illiteracy in remote areas like ours because it has the best values, vision, and goals for the better future of the young generation.
Still, let volunteers come on the ground to teach how best free thinkers work and the benefits all over.
Jacobsen: What long-term impact will humanistic education have on social progress, peace, and democracy?
Johnson: The impacts are many—It supports positive emotions in learners, hence motivation and high self-esteem.
Seeking help and avoiding negative emotions, such as anger, anxiety, stress, and depression, will cause social progress and peace in the community.
Jacobsen: What inspired embracing and promoting humanistic education in a deeply religious and traditional region?
Johnson: Basically, I wanted to create opportunities for groups, discussion, and one-on-one teaching of free-thinking skills in the mountainous area.
Also, I wanted to inspire the young age to be free thinkers.
Jacobsen: What is the typical story of a child at Hillside transformed by humanistic education?
Johnson: Through transformation, learners can tell stories about their social skills, feelings, intellect, artistic skills, and practical skills.
Jacobsen: What is an appropriate way to address resistance or suspicion from religious leaders or parents toward your educational model?
Johnson: There shouldn’t be segregation between ourselves. Let all the services be given to all individuals equally. With time, they will realize how good it is regardless of faith.
Jacobsen: What is the role of art, music, and storytelling in fostering emotional growth?
Johnson: They offer powerful avenues for emotional growth, providing safe and expression space.
Jacobsen: How do you cultivate civic responsibility from a young age?
Johnson: Encourage them to volunteer, teaching them the value of helping others and contributing to their communities without expecting anything in return.
Jacobsen: What partnerships or support networks make the most significant difference to the school’s mission today?
Johnson: It’s democracy, open government and human rights that help us to foster our mission accomplished.
Jacobsen: How does the team measure the success or impact of humanistic education at Hillside?
Johnson: Viewing the primary goal of education as the creation of lifelong learning with the motivation and tools needed to seek out and learn new things.
The team believes all learners should feel safe and encouraged in the classroom to develop the tools needed to achieve their full potential.
Jacobsen: What messages do you wish to share with donors or volunteers?
Johnson: I am thankful for everyone who wishes Hillside Nursery and Orphanage School to become a role model school, helping the unprivileged become important people in the future.
Please support the orphanage by donating food, scholastic materials, shoes, uniforms, and seats.
We need help with a block of seven classrooms and a four-room toilet for the orphanage! We have no help. Any dollar donated will make an excellent development for the orphanage.
Any support can be donated on our GoFundMe.
We had a friend who used to donate food and scholastic materials (the late Lynda Tilley). Unfortunately, she passed away in August 2023. In her memory, we got more help from Kato Mukasa, who created a fundraiser to renovate the only building that we had that was built using Mad and Watal cement. We named it after Lynda Tilley.
So I call over the well-wishers to come and support the orphanage school, whatever one can!
Jacobsen: How do you ensure inclusion and equality?
Johnson: Prioritizing creating a welcoming environment by implementing culturally responsive teaching, a diverse curriculum, and inclusive practices that foster critical thinking and empathy for the orphanage.
Jacobsen: What legacy do you hope Hillside Nursery and Orphanage School will leave for future generations?
Johnson: Personal growth and self-actualization development in the mountainous area.
Critical thinking, emotional well-being and collaborative learning in the mountainous area.
Thank you. I honour your being for the orphanage.
Jacobsen: Thank you for the opportunity and your time, Enginel.
Photo by Roman Derrick Okello on Unsplash