PARENTAL CARE NURSERY AND PRIMARY SCHOOL BUSHENYI STUNS 144 OTHER SCHOOLS TO EMERGE MDD CHAMPIONS 2026.
The school Director, Mr. Trevor Yebazamukama celebrating with pupils shortly after being declared winners
Parental Care Nursery and Primary School Bushenyi have been declared the national Music, Dance and Drama (MDD) champions for the year 2026. The competitions held in Iganga District at Bishop Willis Core Primary Teachers’ College attracted 115 schools from across the Pearl of Africa. These schools competed in 13 items of; Traditional Folk song, Instrumental composition, Story telling, 2 Poems (Tooke and Climate change), traditional dance, sight singing and sight reading, Western set piece, Vocal solo, drama, Western solo, creative dance and Western HIV composition. Parental Care Nursery and Primary School Bushenyi managed to win seven of the 13 competition items.
The school Director receiving a smart screen and a plaque on behalf of the school for winning sight singing. Behind him (in white shirt) is Mr. Desmond Tayenwa, the school Headteacher
The week-long national competitions were ran under the theme,“A Safe Learning Environment for Social Transformation”.
Parental Care Bushenyi secured the overall title with a score of atleast 96 points from each item, finishing ahead of Nakivubo Blue Primary School and Buganda Road Primary Schools in that order.
Oasis Primary School-Arua City, St. Julie Primary School-Kibaale, Clevers’ Origin, St. Theresa Namilyango, Namilyango Junior Boys, Mbarara Junior School and Tennessee Valley Primary School occupied the forth to tenth position respectively.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Dr Florence Isabirye Muranga, Executive Director of the Presidential Initiative on Banana Industrial Development ( PIBID), commended the participating schools, parents and pupils for their commitment to extracurricular activities.
Muranga said classroom instruction alone is not sufficient for the holistic development of children and welcomed the competition’s focus on creating safe learning environments beyond the classroom.
“The theme to this year’s competition is timely since a safe learning environment is not limited to classrooms,” Muranga said.
Rev. Dr. Florence Isabirye Muranga while giving her remarks
Mr..Robert Nikwapu, the Ministry of Education and Sports Assistant Commissioner for Primary Education, also commended the participating schools and organisers for successfully concluding the competition.
Nikwapu said the Ministry remains committed to supporting schools in implementing the new curriculum, which places greater emphasis on practical skills and enabling learners to develop their abilities beyond conventional classroom learning.
He said equipping learners with practical skills could contribute to national development while reducing the number of graduates who struggle to find employment.
Mr. Robert Nikwapu while addressing the congregation
Trevor Yebazamukama, the school Director , attributed the school’s victory to the combined efforts of teachers, parents and pupils.
He said the school’s performances were built around energy, rhythm and storytelling, adding that pupils and teachers put in extensive preparation ahead of the competition.
Pupils of Parental Care Nursery and Primary School Bushenyi in action during creative dance
“The performance had captivated the audience with energy, rhythm and powerful storytelling. The pupils worked hard; we spent days without sleeping, and for the moment, let them enjoy the success,” he said.
Parental Care Nursery and Primary School Bushenyi Pupils during a traditional dance at the competition
Story telling
From 115 schools, the competition registered a total number of 17,763 participants from various regional clusters across the country.
Participating regions included Omukuri, representing the Greater Bushenyi districts; Orucence, covering Greater Mbarara, Ntungamo and Rwampara, Nankasa, Adungu, Nanga, Nalunfuka and Luwengere, among others.
The MDD competitions provide learners with a platform to develop and demonstrate abilities in music, dance and drama while promoting creativity, teamwork, confidence and cultural expression.
Important to note is that this win is the second one in a space of three days for Parental Care Nursery and Primary School Bushenyi following the East African community debate championship victory on Thursday 28th August 2026 at King David Academy in Kigali Rwanda.
Solo
