There is a highly competitive atmosphere at Gayaza High School, as students representing 200 schools across Uganda begin the boot camp stage of the annual Stanbic National Schools Championships.
The 11th edition of the Stanbic Bank-sponsored competition is running under the overall theme ‘Powering Innovation for Job Creation’ with the 2026 tagline being: ‘Flex your Genius’.
The best-performing schools and alumni have a chance to share in the total cash prize of Shs 150 million after the finale in August, including an all-expenses-paid trip to South Africa.
The boot camp, which started on Monday, will run for five days with a major focus on training teachers and students in entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation.
Many participants have expressed their excitement for the opportunity to showcase their ideas and benefit from the mentorship sessions.
Last year, Sumaya Girls’ High School in Nsangi was crowned the overall winner of the 10th edition with their innovative Uro-Care UTI Detector strip. This is an early-detection kit designed to help, especially young women, identify urinary tract infections before complications arise.
“I expect to have some financial insight into startups building all the businesses. Because of the time that I have been attending this, I have really got so many financial business ideas. I recently started a business, much as it collapsed, but I know in business we expect losses, we expect profits, and we expect to relearn and learn,” Linda Nansubuga, a teacher from Kololo Senior Secondary School, said,” Linda Nansubuga, a teacher from Kololo Senior Secondary School, said.
“At the end of the boot camp, I expect to learn, relearn and learn in the field of business and marketing and sales and being an entrepreneur, because I want to merge teaching and entrepreneurship. I want to be a teacher with a change.”
Participants have the opportunity to interact with mentors through a variety of training sessions, including psychosocial or stress management, personal financial management, sales, marketing, packaging and branding, in addition to getting the basics about pitching their ideas.
Onan Saverio-Louis Cornelio, a student from Kabojja International School, said, “I expect to make friends and thrive in different key areas, for example, the business model canvas, where we have to create a business plan. I hope to thrive in that and go all the way to the grand finale and be among those 12 schools that are chosen.”
The competition includes two main categories: the Student Spark Challenge for schools with innovative ideas, and the Business Fellowship for alumni students and teachers from previous seasons (2024–2025) to further refine their businesses.
Gabriella Atuhaire Kusiima, a student from the Aga Khan High School Kampala, said,” I expect to make new friends, network and meet other students my age who are interested in business, entrepreneurship and helping Uganda. I also hope to learn more about entrepreneurship and broaden my horizon, and learn from others, re-learn and unlearn.
Diana Ondoga, the Corporate Social Investment Manager at Stanbic Bank, said, “The boot camp is aimed at mindset change among learners between the ages of 13 and 18. The program seeks to extract what exists in these learners and get them ready to be a part of solutions to the challenges in society,” she said.
“The championship complements the curriculum changes introduced by the Ministry of Education about five years ago, and it is an initiative that allows students to practice what they are learning in preparation for the future,” Ondoga said.
Ondoga said as Stanbic Bank Uganda celebrates 35 years of operations in Uganda, the bank remains committed to powering innovation for job creation as it fulfils one of the major pillars of its Positive Impact Agenda.
To date, the Championship has impacted over 600,000 students, teachers, and community members over the past 10 years, fostering entrepreneurship and innovation.
