MADI WEST NILE DIOCESE RECORDS DROP IN MOCK EXAMINATION PARTICIPATION

 Arua city senior inspector of schools Zilli Buzaa releasing the mock results to the diocesan education committee, File Photo

By Morish Dramadri

Arua City

The Education Department of Madi West Nile Diocese has recorded a decline in the number of schools participating in its regional mock examinations, with diocesan officials attributing the drop to a number of Church of Uganda-founded schools opting out of the assessment.

According to reports from the diocesan Education Committee, this year’s Madi West Nile Diocese mock examination attracted fewer schools compared to previous years.

Aringa Archdeaconry registered 10 schools, Koboko 9, Keri only 1, Terego Archdeaconry 4, Arua Urban 5, Rhino Camp 3, Logiri 12, Cathedral 5, Oyibu 8, Maracha 23, Arua 24, and Vurra 32 schools.

Most of the participating archdeaconries presented a combination of Anglican- and Catholic-founded schools.

Ben Ajuma Solomon, the Chairperson of the Madi West Nile Diocesan Education Board, says some schools were compelled to participate in the examination, describing the refusal by Church of Uganda-founded schools as a matter requiring disciplinary action.

“All Church of Uganda-founded schools, the examinations are mandatory. Out of the archdeaconries that participated, a number of them registered only a few schools. We have forced some schools to do the examinations, especially Jiako Primary School. The diocese must take note of some of these schools because they are becoming notorious,” Ajuma said.

The decline comes despite the large number of candidates preparing for the Primary Leaving Examination.

Arua City alone registered 8,081 candidates for this year’s PLE, while 6,081 candidates sat the Madi West Nile Diocese regional mock examination.

The disparity has raised concerns among education stakeholders about the willingness of some schools and parents to participate in the diocesan assessment.

(L-R) Arua city SIoS Zilli Buzaa, COUHEIA chairman Elliakim Matua and Godfrey Nasser D.S Madi West Nile diocese during the release of the mock results. Photo by Morish Dramadri

Godfrey Nasser, the Diocesan Secretary of Madi West Nile Diocese, has acknowledged the decline in participation and pledged action against schools that deliberately refused to take part.

“We heard the report and realized that one archdeaconry did not participate completely. We shall handle that at our level. We also noted that few schools registered to participate. The examinations that we conduct do not look at faith; we are looking at the performance of our children,” Nasser said.

Meanwhile, Arua City Senior Inspector of Schools, Zilli Buzaa, has pledged support for faith-based assessments, urging the respective foundation bodies to report schools that refuse to participate so that appropriate action can be taken.

 Buzaa addressing the diocesan education stakeholder during the release of the mock results- photo by Morish Dramadri

“We fully support faith-based organizations when they want to assess learners. We have examinations for Catholics under Arua Diocese, examinations for Muslims under the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, and this one under Madi West Nile Diocese. All these examinations are harmonized so that they do not conflict in any way. When the examination period is announced, share the information with us so that we can enforce compliance and take appropriate action against schools,” Zilli said.

The Madi West Nile Diocese regional mock examination is intended to assess learners in Church of Uganda-founded schools across Terego, Maracha, Koboko, Madi Okollo, Yumbe, Moyo, Adjumani, Obongi, Arua City and Arua District, while schools affiliated with other faiths have their own assessment arrangements.

The diocesan education authorities say the examination is designed to help schools assess learners’ academic performance, identify gaps and prepare candidates for the Primary Leaving Examination.