Kotido explains good results
Feb 05, 2008
KOTIDO district has attributed its improved performance in the O’level examinations to the stringent monitoring and supervision policy that ensured that teachers were committed to their work.
By Nathan Etengu
KOTIDO district has attributed its improved performance in the O’level examinations to the stringent monitoring and supervision policy that ensured that teachers were committed to their work.
Kotido had the highest percentage of students who passed the recent exams.
The LC5 chairman, Paul Lomanio, said the district executive committee put in place an integrated monitoring and supervision scheme which ensured that the education officials were always on the ground and doing onspot checks in schools.
He said they also imposed restriction on students’ movement.
Lomanio, who gradated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Makerere University in 2007, said a change in attitude by the Karimojong towards education started in 1997 when a cultural ceremony was performed in the district on behalf of the entire Karamoja sub-region to “un-earth the pen and the book.â€
The ritual was performed to remove a curse the Karimojong elders had imposed on children who tried to go to school.
The elders said the book and pen had been used by the colonialists to forcefully take away energetic youth from the community so they did not want their children to use the same items in school.
“In 1991, Kotido that included the present day Abim and Kaabong districts, had only one student passing O’Level with a credit.
“However between 1997 and to date, we have had 48 graduates. We also have 46 students at Makerere University,†Lomanio said.
He added that the decision by the Karimojong to abandon the gun as a source of livelihood, had led to better education prospects.
The Karimojong, Lomanio said, now see education as a positive turning point in life. “Those at home see the achievement of those who have gone to school and the good things one gets as a result of education.â€
Lomanio said they teamed up with the UPDF on the disarmament exercise to also forcefully pick up all school-going children found grazing animals.
“After collecting the children, we take them to boarding schools.â€
KOTIDO district has attributed its improved performance in the O’level examinations to the stringent monitoring and supervision policy that ensured that teachers were committed to their work.
Kotido had the highest percentage of students who passed the recent exams.
The LC5 chairman, Paul Lomanio, said the district executive committee put in place an integrated monitoring and supervision scheme which ensured that the education officials were always on the ground and doing onspot checks in schools.
He said they also imposed restriction on students’ movement.
Lomanio, who gradated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Makerere University in 2007, said a change in attitude by the Karimojong towards education started in 1997 when a cultural ceremony was performed in the district on behalf of the entire Karamoja sub-region to “un-earth the pen and the book.â€
The ritual was performed to remove a curse the Karimojong elders had imposed on children who tried to go to school.
The elders said the book and pen had been used by the colonialists to forcefully take away energetic youth from the community so they did not want their children to use the same items in school.
“In 1991, Kotido that included the present day Abim and Kaabong districts, had only one student passing O’Level with a credit.
“However between 1997 and to date, we have had 48 graduates. We also have 46 students at Makerere University,†Lomanio said.
He added that the decision by the Karimojong to abandon the gun as a source of livelihood, had led to better education prospects.
The Karimojong, Lomanio said, now see education as a positive turning point in life. “Those at home see the achievement of those who have gone to school and the good things one gets as a result of education.â€
Lomanio said they teamed up with the UPDF on the disarmament exercise to also forcefully pick up all school-going children found grazing animals.
“After collecting the children, we take them to boarding schools.â€