Education

Lamwo demotes 34 head teachers over poor PLE results

The sweeping action, which takes effect as schools reopen for the second term of the 2026 academic year, was ordered by the district performance review committee after it assessed examination results across government schools.

Lamwo District LCV Chairperson, Sisto Oyet Ocen, said the committee resolved that head teachers who failed to improve academic standards in their schools would be removed from administrative roles. (File/Christopher Nyeko)
By: Christopher Nyeko, Journalist @New Vision

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At least 34 primary school head teachers in Lamwo district have reportedly been demoted to classroom teaching positions following poor performance in the 2025 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE).

The sweeping action, which takes effect as schools reopen for the second term of the 2026 academic year, was ordered by the district performance review committee after it assessed examination results across government schools.

Lamwo district LC5 chairperson, Sisto Oyet Ocen, said the committee resolved that head teachers who failed to improve academic standards in their schools would be removed from administrative roles.

“We cannot continue tolerating poor performance in our schools. Those who have failed to deliver must give way to others who can improve learning outcomes,” Ocen said.

According to the 2025 PLE results, only 28 candidates out of 3,142 registered pupils in the district scored Division One.

A total of 939 candidates passed in Division Two, 1,004 in Division Three, and 520 in Division Four.

The results further showed that 606 pupils were ungraded, while 45 candidates did not sit the examinations.

Ocen said the poor performance figures informed the district’s decision to act immediately at the start of the new school term.

Deputy head teachers in the affected schools have since been directed to take over leadership responsibilities.

Lamwo district has 73 government primary schools and 11 secondary schools.

District education officer Barabbas Langoya said the demotion policy mainly targets head teachers who have spent at least four years in the same schools without showing improvement in academic performance.

Langoya clarified that head teachers recently transferred to new schools were excluded from the exercise because their performance could not fairly be judged using results from their previous stations.

“This is not a blanket punishment. We considered the period of service and the consistency of performance before making recommendations,” Langoya explained.

Ocen warned that the district would extend similar measures to other sectors that fail to meet performance expectations.

He said the district leadership is determined to remove responsibilities from officers who fail to deliver services effectively and replace them with individuals capable of improving service delivery.

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