MORE THAN HALF OF CANDIDATES FAIL MADI WEST NILE DIOCESAN MOCK EXAMINATION

Arua city senior inspector of schools Zili Buza handing over the results to the executive of Diocesan Education Committee-photo by Morish Dramadri

By Morish Dramadri

Arua city

The 2026 Madi West Nile Diocesan Primary Seven Mock Examination has recorded poor performance, with only 1.2 percent of candidates passing in Division One while 53.8 percent failed outright, raising concerns among education stakeholders about the quality of teaching and learning in schools across the diocese.

This year’s examination attracted 6,081 candidates from 139 public and private primary schools. Of these, only 74 candidates (1.2%) obtained Division One, 514 (8.5%) scored Division Two, 579 (9.5%) attained Division Three, and 1,290 (21.3%) passed in Division Four.

However, 3,274 candidates (53.8%) failed the examination, while 350 registered candidates (5.7%) did not sit the exams.

According to the result, Cathedral archdeaconry outshined other archdeaconries with Ushindi primary school as the best performed with four best candidates all obtaining aggregate 7, making private schools outperform the public schools.

Zili Buzaa shaking hands with the head teacher of Ushindi primary school while receiving awards on behalf of the best performers, photo by Morish Dramadri

While releasing the results at the diocesan secretariat on Friday, the Chairperson of the Madi West Nile Diocesan Education Board, Ajuma Ben Solomon, observed that many schools focus heavily on Primary Seven candidates while neglecting lower classes that form the foundation for academic success.

Ajuma noted that meaningful improvement in learning outcomes can only be achieved by strengthening teaching and assessment from the lower primary levels.

“Schools have refused to do P.4 to P.6 exams. If you want to improve teaching and learning, let’s start from down there,” Ajuma observed.

The Madi West Nile diocesan mock examinations began in the early 1990s as an assessment of Religious Education.

Under the Diocesan Education Department and supervised by the Church of Uganda Heads of Education Institutions Association (COUHEIA), the examination has since expanded to include Mathematics, English Language, Social Studies and Integrated Science, bringing the total number of subjects examined to five.

The education board has also broadened the assessment scope from Primary Seven to lower classes, with examinations now conducted up to Primary Four and plans underway to extend the initiative further in the coming years.

According to a report from the examining body, the Church of Uganda Heads of Education Institutions Association, Religious Education emerged as the worst-performed subject in the 2026 diocesan mock examinations.

The Chairperson of COUHEIA, Matua Elliakim Onyiga, emphasized the need for early and adequate preparation that aligns with expected learning outcomes. He urged teachers to strengthen their classroom practices as candidates prepare for the national Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE).

“Results are not a miracle. They depend on how much you prepare and how well you align to what is expected. Let us get back and continue preparing,” Matua said.

Education stakeholders say the results reflect broader challenges facing the education sector in West Nile. According to a baseline survey conducted by Education 2030, a partner organization of the Aga Khan Foundation, the region’s literacy rate stands at 59 percent, with nearly 40 percent of learners unable to read.

The Arua City Senior Inspector of Schools, Zili Buzaa, attributed the poor performance partly to teachers’ failure to adhere to lesson timetables and adequately cover the syllabus.

He called for collective responsibility among teachers, school administrators, parents and education authorities to improve learning outcomes.

“The teachers we have now are not the teachers we used to have. You can visit a school and find only three lessons delivered in a day. Everyone must be responsible if we want to improve the quality of education in our region,” Zili revealed.

Although the diocesan mock examinations targeted all 12 archdeaconries in Madi West Nile Diocese, only 11 participated.

Education officials reported resistance from some schools to sit examinations administered by their foundation body, a challenge that continues to affect efforts to standardize assessment and improve academic performance across the diocese.

The results now place renewed pressure on schools, teachers and education managers to strengthen foundational learning if the region is to improve performance in future mock and national examinations.