Pallisa, (UG):- The Bukedi Diocesan Secretary Rev. Charles Firefox Okiror has challenged parents to constantly pray for their children and bring them up spiritually.
Rev. Okiror made the disclosure while conducting a blessing ceremony for the 2024 candidates of Pal Junior School in Pallisa District over the weekend.
He said the antisocial behaviours in youth in Teso and Bukedi sub-regions engaging in opium consumption and gatecrashing in patties are results being yielded from parents who failed to spiritually up-bring their children and allow them to grow.
“It’s my pleasure to note Rev. John Paul Oiki the parish priest of Pallisa is committed to ensuring schools that subscribe to the church of Uganda within his jurisdiction hold monthly prayers which he presides over”, Rev Okiror said.
On candidates, he challenged them to be calm and remain focused on the content teachers have given them bearing in mind primary course is the longest in the education system as it takes seven years.
He lauded Dr Fixon Okonye Akonya the executive director of the four schools which include Pal and Lisa College Kalaki in Pallisa, Pal Junior School in Pallisa, Pal and Lisa SS Kampala and Pal and Lisa Primary School in Kampala for the special priority he gives education.
“If Dr Okonye minded about making money, the investment he has put in education would have been enough to establish a product processing plant but because of the love he has in education being a beneficiary. So I encourage you to remain focused many have told truly that this examination is not set above the clouds but from our Ugandan curriculum which I believe teachers covered in preparation for this forthcoming primary leaving now,” Rev. Okiror said.
He further cautioned the candidates of PLE, UCE and UACE to be extra careful during vacation because the devil is sleeplessly waiting to attack in any form.
“It will be shameful for results to be released in January 2025 when some boys are in jail or girls pregnant. Mind the peers you are going to associate with during this long holiday and be of great help to parents,” he emphasized.
Pauline Tino the head teacher of Pal and Lisa College who spoke to DailyExpress on behalf of the teaching fraternity of Pal and Lisa schools said as Pal and Lisa community they have invested in the polishing of the candidates by inviting a cross-section of senior teachers in the renown school in central Uganda to guide candidates not only for Pal and Lisa schools but entire district.
Tino said they did this to fight the routine embarrassment that obviously placed Pallisa at the bottom ten worst-performing districts when PLE is released. “It was only unfortunate that most schools didn’t bother to send children during the selected weekends to send children to free of charge examination approach guidance to our children”, Tino said.
Echau John Speke one of the senior mathematics examiners said most teachers cover the syllabus in time but the problem has been loss of marks through lack of guidance in sensitive silent issues.
“Mathematics misinterpretation of numbers, poor use of unit rewriting numbers poor usage of given space misplacement of answers unnecessary crossing of work and worse of all handwriting some children can’t even write digits well ‘5’ is written like ‘S’ misuse of equal signs, curly brackets in coordinates need a lot from teachers,” he said.
John Julius Okaki the Akisim sub-county district councillor lauded Pal and Lisa schools directorate for the initiative but called for the involvement of teachers in such encounters with senior examiners so that they channel such knowledge down to other teachers.
“You need more people who have Pallisa at heart to join Dr Okonye in community development rather than many going in for politics. Dr Okonye has employed over 150 people engagement in different sectors ranging from teaching staff and non-teaching staff,” Okaki said.
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