[WestNileNet] Invitation to Support MOGA Initiatives
Dear West Nilers and friends of West Nile, Greetings and best wishes from Muni Old Girls Association. Muni Girls, founded in 1983, is one of the leading girls schools in West Nile founded on Christian principles of the Anglican Church. The school has continuously educated girls from the region and now has a big pool of old girls (alumni) who are based in and out of Uganda. In 2010, the alumni that leave in Kampala reunited and started an association - Muni Old Girls Association (MOGA) with the following objectives; 1. Promote excellence in academics and extra-curricular activities 2. Promote growth and development at the school 3. Foster unity and provide a forum for discussing matters concerning members 4. Provide a forum for old discipline, interest and a sense of responsibility in matters pertaining to the development of the school be it academic or otherwise In the year 2013, the alumni have planned number activities including the following; 1. Setting up an ultra-modern sign post:Muni girls are keen to increase visibility of the school and this will create more awareness interest in the school. 2. The student awards: Recognizing excelling students, with a view to increase competitiveness, in the students and ultimately improvement in academic excellence in the school and the entire West Nile region. Excellence in sports, clubs and other developmental activities will also be included. “Work without play, makes Tom a dull boy” 3. Re-union The alumni will also do a re-union dinner to bring together old girls, teachers, students and other stakeholders. This is intended to promote network and discuss issues that may contribute to the improved learning environment for the students and also issues of well-being and synergies among alumni and other people 4. Social responsibility:The girls will visit Arua hospital to recognize the children in the wards. The children will be provided with some foods and other items. We therefore call upon all the communities of West Nile and lovers of West Nile and Muni Girls School to support us in making these activities a success. We request for financial and other forms of support which may be in kind such as, cloths, food, PA system, Sign post design and installation, awards items, among others as illustrated in the budget attached. In line with the above, the alumni of Muni Girls School have organized a fundraising dinner that will take place on Women’s Day the 8th of March 2013 at Barbeque Lounge-Centenary Park starting at 5:00PM. RSVP Dr. Pamela Obetia 0784240230 and Betty Wuzu-0772305966 Betty Wuzu Adoption and Foster Care Officer/Child Helpline Counselor Action For Children P.O.BOX 25417 Kampala-Uganda Plot 110, Lutaaya Drive - Bukoto Mobile +256 772 305 966/701 234 405 Office number +256 414 541 111 Every Child is my Child.___ WestNileNet mailing list WestNileNet@kym.net http://orion.kym.net/mailman/listinfo/westnilenet WestNileNet is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. ___
Re: [WestNileNet] A-Level Results WN Results - Pg 8 Monitor
Dear brothers and sisters, I cry with you over the very poor results that our schools in West Nile produced this past time. During the conference you are planning to hold, can you also talk about schools being RUN AS BUSNESS rather than EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS? I think this is one one of our problems; too many primary schools with no resources feeding already stressed out good schools we once had. When were young we had students ahead of us in our schools whom we tried to follow as the continued going to some of the best junior and seconadary scools. Do we have such students who lead the way for the rest as examples? Competitiond among our kids has disappeared. Should we ask ourselves if the students ARE REALLY INTERESTED IN LEARNING or they are forced to learn? We should reduce the numbers of these schools and concentrate on a few good schools which will produce good results. We should go back to old system of having junior secondary schools, which I think, was a good environment to PREPARE students to learn to independently study as they were guided for secondary education. Seven years in primary is not enough for most students. They most likely could benifit for a two year prep before attemting the more complecated education ladder. I was shocked to learn that even seconadry scolol student had very little English understanding. We do not have Lugbara/ Kakwa/Alur/Madi math and science books. Without a very good understanding of English, our kids have no chance of DOING BETTER. PLEASE STRESS THE IMPORTANCY of ENGLISH in primary schools by reading in class and writing more in class because the children do not have time to read at home: LIGHTS! Briefly, discourage schools opened to collect money rather than educate our children, close some of the schools which do not produce good students, student results should be traced back to their primary to asses how good that primary school is, if possible combine nearby schools and invest the money in one or two schools to monitor performance. Let us go back to the old school system which worked for us, including opening voluntary Junior Seondary Schools to asses if that can produce better candidates for SS schoools and the universities eventually where some may end up but not necessarily. Thank you for reading this. I have no teaching back ground nor an administration knowledge except family issues but like the rest of you who are reading this article, I went thru the old system. Ombatini Junior Seconadry School was my way to the Old Good Nyakasura, which has also lost its GLORY of the sixties. Adiga Godi. From: Caleb Alaka calebal...@yahoo.com To: A Virtual Network for friends of West Nile westnilenet@kym.net Cc: A Virtual Network for friends of West Nile westnilenet@kym.net Sent: Friday, March 1, 2013 12:17 AM Subject: Re: [WestNileNet] A-Level Results WN Results - Pg 8 Monitor I chanced to read a list containing worse performing schools in the Monitor News paper today where 89 schools were listed. The bench mark was the number of 'As, Bs, Cs and number of students. Out of 89 schools in the Country in that category; • Kings Modern College, Yumbe was number 3 with 0As, 0Bs, 1 C . Arua Academy number 5, 0As, 0Bs and 4cs. . Otuambari SS number 8 with no As, Bs and 3Cs . Warr girls SS at number 31with no As,no Bs and 6Cs . Ombatini SS at number 38 with no As, 2 Bs and13 Cs . Moyo SS at number 40 no As, 1 B and 11 Cs . Nebbi Town Hall at Number 44 with 1 A, 0 B and 4 Cs . Otravu SS at number 46 with 0 As, 2 Bs and 8 Cs . Moyo Town SS at number 54 with 0As, 0Bs and 3 Credits . Arua hall at number 63 no As, 8Bs 12 Cs . Green Valley College, Yumbe 0As, 2Bs and 4Cs . Driajin SS at 84 0As, 2 Bs and 4Cs . Pakwach SS at 86 0As, 1B and 7 Cs 13 of our schools make the list amongst the worst 89 schools in the Country, Thus we as a subregion have contributed a whooping 16% of Worst performing schools in the Country. There we go Sent from my iPhone On Mar 1, 2013, at 4:37 AM, Vasco Oguzua vogu...@gmail.com wrote: Brothers and Sisters, It is really amazing to read all the emotional reaction sons and daughters of West Nile have expressed due to the mediocre results in all fronts of the education establishments in West Nile (both at primary and secondary (O-Level and A-Level). I believe almost everyone who has contributed in this reaction has expressed shock, anger, frustration and a sense of disillusion with the current status of education in West Nile. Many of you have presented a historical perspective of education in West Nile and have viewed the current situation with the lens of the historical glory which schools in West Nile enjoyed. Let us try to forget about how schools in West Nile performed in the past and look at why education has become what it now in West Nile where we are cursing and rubbing our nose with anger. The reasons are many and we as the people
[WestNileNet] Hungry South Sudan means bad news for West Nile and Madi region
May politicians from all west nile districts, opinion leaders, etc...start sounding the alarm bells NOW so that we can avoid the extreme hunger that devasted the region four-five years ago!!! http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/640254-4-million-s-sudanese-may-go-hungry-in-2013--u-n.html *** 4 million S. Sudanese may go hungry in 2013 - U.N.Publish Date: Mar 02, 2013 Newvision JUBA - More than four million South Sudanese, a third of the African country's population, may go hungry at some point in 2013 despite a higher harvest last year, the United Nations said on Friday. South Sudan's cereal deficit will be 371,000 tonnes, just over one-third of its total cereal requirement, despite an increase in output thanks to good rains and higher sown area, the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Food Program (WFP) said in a report. Commercial imports will cover some of this year's deficit, but high prices and poor infrastructure will make one million dependent on 224,000 tonnes of food aid planned by the WFP, the report said. The lack of roads and widespread tribal and rebel violence mean four million will be at risk of not getting enough to eat, it said. South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, is one of the world's least-developed countries after decades of civil war with Khartoum ended after a peace deal in 2005. In a country the size of France where only 4.5 percent of the land is cultivated, farming is often hampered by tribal and rebel violence. South Sudan's ability to import food has also been hit since the government turned off oil production a year ago in a row with Sudan over pipeline fees, depriving the country of what was its virtually only source of income and dollars to buy food abroad. South Sudan has tremendous agricultural potential, and the improved harvest estimate is good news, but the country's overall food security situation remains very precarious, WFP country director Chris Nikoi said in a joint statement with FAO. Over 80 percent of the estimated 11.8 million South Sudanese do not earn wages and are predominantly farmers or tend livestock, according to the World Bank. But cattle rustling, conflicts between communities and raids by rebel groups continue to hamper farming, the report said. At least 2,600 people have been killed in violence since independence, the U.N. says. More than 200,000 people have also fled to South Sudan to escape fighting between the army and rebels in the Sudanese states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, stretching resources in the young republic. We must redouble efforts to improve the livelihoods of the poorest and most vulnerable South Sudanese, and ensure they can produce their own food or can afford to buy food to meet their needs, and are more resilient to shocks, Nikoi said. Reuters ___ WestNileNet mailing list WestNileNet@kym.net http://orion.kym.net/mailman/listinfo/westnilenet WestNileNet is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. ___
[WestNileNet] Canadian Scholarship Opportunities - Please circulate
IDRC Canadian Window on International Development Awards Deadline: 01/04/2013 Deadline: April 1, 2013 IDRC offers these awards annually to Canadians, permanent residents of Canada, and citizens of developing countries pursuing master’s or doctoral studies at a Canadian university. These awards support field research in Canada and one or more developing countries. Candidates must conduct their research in areas corresponding to IDRC program priorities and must ensure that their research project aligns with these priorities. Countries around the world are grappling with economic, environmental, health, and social issues that are increasingly global in nature. Canada faces many complex problems that have international dimensions, while Canadian policies in areas such as trade, investment, and immigration may have profound effects on less developed countries. These awards support research that explores the interrelationships between Canada and developing countries, to better understand issues of common concern. Successful proposals will also identify the potential for Canada and the developing country to learn from each other in dealing with a shared problem. Two types of awards are offered: i) one type of award supports doctoral research that explores the relationship between Canadian aid, trade, immigration, diplomatic policy, etc., and international development and the alleviation of global poverty. ii) a second type of award supports doctoral or master’s comparative research into a problem that is common to First Nations or Inuit communities in Canada and a developing region of the world. See more at: http://www.idrc.ca/EN/Funding/Competitions/Pages/CompetitionDetails.aspx?CompetitionID=51#sthash.vQHEQDXx.dpuf www.idrc.ca The Bentley Cropping Systems Fellowship IDRC offers this Fellowship (a bequest from Helen S. Bentley and C. Fred Bentley) every second year in October to Canadians, permanent residents of Canada, and citizens of developing countries. You must be a graduate student with a university degree in agriculture, forestry, or biology, and wish to undertake applied, on-farm research with cooperating farmers in one or more developing countries. Learn more about the bequest. This award provides funding for field research aimed at increasing the yield of food crops, improving farmers’ livelihoods, and improving soil fertility. In particular, the research should evaluate and/or promote the use of fertility enhancing plants — such as leguminous forages, shrubs, cover crops, and grain legumes — on small farms. Countries subject to approval In principle, IDRC supports research in all developing countries. At this time, however, we do not support awards that involve research in Burma (Myanmar), Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. IDRC must approve field research proposed in the following countries or territories prior to issuing the award: Afghanistan, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Democratic Republic of), Eritrea, Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of), Liberia, Libya, Mali, Papua New Guinea, Small Island States [including Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritius, São Tomé and Principe, Seychelles, Timor-Leste and Oceania (Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, Kiribati, Palau, Marshall Islands, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tuvalu, Tonga, Vanuatu, Wallis Futuna)], Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan (Republic of China), West Bank and Gaza, Yemen, and Zimbabwe. Who can apply To be eligible, you must meet the following requirements: be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, or a citizen of a developing country be enrolled full-time at a recognized university at the master's, doctoral, or post-doctoral level in Canada or in a developing country for the duration of the award period submit a research proposal focusing on very simple cropping-systems research that can benefit smallholder farmers in developing countries, especially rural women farmers. (You have up to 12 months to start your field research from the date on the letter of offer.) To apply This award is offered every second year. For more information on the award and to apply visit the Competitions page. Award holder YOLOU, Isidore (2012) Quantification, essai de décomposition expérimental et valorisation des déchets organiques dans la ville de Parakou (Nord-Bénin) : apports d’éléments biogènes dans la production de légumes en agriculture (péri) urbaine, Université de Parakou, Bénin (PhD in Agronomy). ___ WestNileNet mailing list WestNileNet@kym.net http://orion.kym.net/mailman/listinfo/westnilenet WestNileNet is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. ___
Re: [WestNileNet] Research on poor academic performance in West Nile
Dr Obaa, I agree with Mr. Jackson Avudria that the results of the study in Yumbe district can be extrapolated across the rest of west nile districts. Mr. Stephen Todoko (former Chair of Anticorruption Koboko) and the Koboko Joint University Students Association (KOJUSA) undertook similar but separate studies as a result of concerns arising from poor performance in PLE, O and A levels. The results mirror those seen in Yumbe District exactly. Just substitute Koboko for Yumber and everything remains the same. Plus, in my opinion if you really, really want to find how bad our education system has gone...Yumber and Koboko districts are the best case studies for I think they are at the bottom if you ranked perfromance in west nile districts/counties. Sure, you will hear that St Charles Lwanga performed well in some years but do not forget that the majority Lwanga students come from outside of the district! It may be different now but that was always the situation. So to me undertaking further research will delay action and the good will that is arising now! Action is what is needed now. Part of the preparation for this conference should be concurrent one on one (if possible) meetings between WN Foundation leadership with all WN MPs to ascertain their take on the deplorable performance and what action(s) they intend to take to addres the situation. There should be targeted meetings either now or after the proposed conference with different groups -- for example, religious leaders, CSOs, college and university student associations etc. All our leaders and especially the religious and community leaders should use their previledged positions to talk to their congregations and stakeholders about the importance of education. Even as a young and interrupted student who was not able to finish his A level due to the Ugandan war, I personally took the opportunity to talk to many many of our younger students in the refugee camps in South Sudan when I worked as a research assistant for Dr. Harrell-Bond who conducted research among Ugandan (read Madi, Lugbara and Kakwa) refugees in South Sudan in the early 1980s. Like the many contemporaries I have on Koboko and West Nile nets, education was something that was imparted upon my mind at an early age from home. Children will never succeed if parents think they will outsource their responsibilities to other people. Over the past two or three years KOJUSA played an important role during their long vacation in speaking to elementary and secondary students in Koboko district. In addition, KOJUSA and other Koboko youth were supported by the community both in and outside Koboko to organize annual youth conferences where the importance of education was discussed. You will all recall that the children we are lamenting about are the children of our contemporaries -- most of whom were children who spent their chilhood as refugees. It is not surprising therefore that we are reaping the terrible consequences of the civil war(s) in west nile/Uganda! We have many a time asked our politicians to work together for the good of west nile but unfortunately, you never hear about a West NILE CAUCUS in parliament when you constantly hear about Acholi, Lango, Buganda, Teso etc etc who are pushing for development for their regions. So we should not be surprised when you hear bad performance year in year out! I recall Hon Moses Ali spearheading a west nile development conference in the early 1990s. I thought that conference would take root but unfortunately, it never did! WNF leadership should consult with him as well for the way forward. Education, like all other forms of learning starts right from home. The days when parents outsourced their children's learning ended in 1978/9 before we left our respective villages as refugees to Congo and South Sudan. In the good old days, parents could rely on the educators, church, clan and community leaders, uncles etc to discipline errant children. As I stated in these two fora before, parents, uncles, teachers, religious and other community leaders lost their influence on children when they were in exile. Those among us who succeeded did so mostly on their own determination. I could go on and on and on but I will stop my rumbling here for the time being hoping that it will also ignite a flicker in others... Charles On 3/2/13, Bernard B. Obaa obaa...@gmail.com wrote: My people, Thank you Jackson for volunteering to retrieve a research report on poor performance of schools in Yumbe district. It would be great to read that report. Whatever the results of that study, I think a study conducted four years ago should not stop us from doing a related study. In fact, that study can provide some comparative perspective to a new study. There is another problem from relying on that study for our purpose. Yumbe is not representative of conditions in West Nile. It is not right to generalize findings from a study done only in Yumbe for the whole
Re: [WestNileNet] Research on poor academic performance in West Nile
Good progress! God bles all! -- Sent from my Nokia Phone --Original message-- From: Caleb Alaka calebal...@yahoo.com To: A Virtual Network for friends of West Nile westnilenet@kym.net Date: Sunday, March 3, 2013 9:46:32 AM GMT+0300 Subject: Re: [WestNileNet] Research on poor academic performance in West Nile I am touched with all the views being expressed, I have also seen the magnitude of the work on our shoulders as leaders of West Nile Foundation, I think this name was appropriately given to our organization looking at the tasks ahead, I thank all those who have volunteered here and there to be part of the anticipated committee in charge of either the fact finding committee or the organizing Committee of the intended conference, John Jackson has always been instrumental in summarizing action points, as we continue generating more ideas, I pray John is going to work hand in hand with Drani Francis Xaviour our SG to summarize our agreed points, thanks for all those contributing, lets air out our different views, let us not forget that we too are part of the West Nile Community. Some of you are experts in conducting online research, when time comes for the committee to carry out research, it will definitely require researches of the Yumbe, Koboko reports and our own input. Thank s. We your leaders are already having series of meetings and you will soon be informed of the outcomes. Sent from my iPhone On Mar 3, 2013, at 3:14 AM, Charles Male cdm...@gmail.com wrote: Dr Obaa, I agree with Mr. Jackson Avudria that the results of the study in Yumbe district can be extrapolated across the rest of west nile districts. Mr. Stephen Todoko (former Chair of Anticorruption Koboko) and the Koboko Joint University Students Association (KOJUSA) undertook similar but separate studies as a result of concerns arising from poor performance in PLE, O and A levels. The results mirror those seen in Yumbe District exactly. Just substitute Koboko for Yumber and everything remains the same. Plus, in my opinion if you really, really want to find how bad our education system has gone...Yumber and Koboko districts are the best case studies for I think they are at the bottom if you ranked perfromance in west nile districts/counties. Sure, you will hear that St Charles Lwanga performed well in some years but do not forget that the majority Lwanga students come from outside of the district! It may be different now but that was always the situation. So to me undertaking further research will delay action and the good will that is arising now! Action is what is needed now. Part of the preparation for this conference should be concurrent one on one (if possible) meetings between WN Foundation leadership with all WN MPs to ascertain their take on the deplorable performance and what action(s) they intend to take to addres the situation. There should be targeted meetings either now or after the proposed conference with different groups -- for example, religious leaders, CSOs, college and university student associations etc. All our leaders and especially the religious and community leaders should use their previledged positions to talk to their congregations and stakeholders about the importance of education. Even as a young and interrupted student who was not able to finish his A level due to the Ugandan war, I personally took the opportunity to talk to many many of our younger students in the refugee camps in South Sudan when I worked as a research assistant for Dr. Harrell-Bond who conducted research among Ugandan (read Madi, Lugbara and Kakwa) refugees in South Sudan in the early 1980s. Like the many contemporaries I have on Koboko and West Nile nets, education was something that was imparted upon my mind at an early age from home. Children will never succeed if parents think they will outsource their responsibilities to other people. Over the past two or three years KOJUSA played an important role during their long vacation in speaking to elementary and secondary students in Koboko district. In addition, KOJUSA and other Koboko youth were supported by the community both in and outside Koboko to organize annual youth conferences where the importance of education was discussed. You will all recall that the children we are lamenting about are the children of our contemporaries -- most of whom were children who spent their chilhood as refugees. It is not surprising therefore that we are reaping the terrible consequences of the civil war(s) in west nile/Uganda! We have many a time asked our politicians to work together for the good of west nile but unfortunately, you never hear about a West NILE CAUCUS in parliament when you constantly hear about Acholi, Lango, Buganda, Teso etc etc who are pushing for development for their regions. So we should not be surprised when you hear bad performance year in year out! I recall Hon Moses
Re: [WestNileNet] Research on poor academic performance in West Nile
Members, I agree with Charles that doing a research would delay action. I agree with Obaa that taking action based on a research done some years ago and only in one area (Yumbe) may not only be counter productive but also misleading. According to Charles, a similar research was done in Koboko and the findings were the same. Someone should tell me whether or not action has been taken since those researches were done. If yes, then those findings may not be valid now. If no, then we have a point to start from. Obaa presents a professional view point of how a problem is identified, turned into a re-searchable topic with a view of addressing the problem. Charles presents a pragmatic approach, of taking action on what we already know. I want to believe that all of us appreciate this crystal clear fact that education performance in our schools has gone down and is getting worse. I also want to believe that we know why this is the case in our schools today, a picture that has not been so in the past. More research as Charles contents will mean our actions come later, maybe after we have seen two or more sets of poor results. As we go in for more research or action, I would think we need to also research in areas and schools where performances are constantly good and improving every year. I think that is where we need to learn so that the findings in such a research would inform our interventions in our schools. Doing research in our schools among other things will authenticate our poor performance, a fact we already know. Whereas doing a research in schools with good performance will enable us understand how they do it for that we may emulate them. Not so? Ismail --- From: Caleb Alaka calebal...@yahoo.com To: A Virtual Network for friends of West Nile westnilenet@kym.net Sent: Sunday, 3 March 2013, 9:46 Subject: Re: [WestNileNet] Research on poor academic performance in West Nile I am touched with all the views being expressed, I have also seen the magnitude of the work on our shoulders as leaders of West Nile Foundation, I think this name was appropriately given to our organization looking at the tasks ahead, I thank all those who have volunteered here and there to be part of the anticipated committee in charge of either the fact finding committee or the organizing Committee of the intended conference, John Jackson has always been instrumental in summarizing action points, as we continue generating more ideas, I pray John is going to work hand in hand with Drani Francis Xaviour our SG to summarize our agreed points, thanks for all those contributing, lets air out our different views, let us not forget that we too are part of the West Nile Community. Some of you are experts in conducting online research, when time comes for the committee to carry out research, it will definitely require researches of the Yumbe, Koboko reports and our own input. Thank s. We your leaders are already having series of meetings and you will soon be informed of the outcomes. Sent from my iPhone On Mar 3, 2013, at 3:14 AM, Charles Male cdm...@gmail.com wrote: Dr Obaa, I agree with Mr. Jackson Avudria that the results of the study in Yumbe district can be extrapolated across the rest of west nile districts. Mr. Stephen Todoko (former Chair of Anticorruption Koboko) and the Koboko Joint University Students Association (KOJUSA) undertook similar but separate studies as a result of concerns arising from poor performance in PLE, O and A levels. The results mirror those seen in Yumbe District exactly. Just substitute Koboko for Yumber and everything remains the same. Plus, in my opinion if you really, really want to find how bad our education system has gone...Yumber and Koboko districts are the best case studies for I think they are at the bottom if you ranked perfromance in west nile districts/counties. Sure, you will hear that St Charles Lwanga performed well in some years but do not forget that the majority Lwanga students come from outside of the district! It may be different now but that was always the situation. So to me undertaking further research will delay action and the good will that is arising now! Action is what is needed now. Part of the preparation for this conference should be concurrent one on one (if possible) meetings between WN Foundation leadership with all WN MPs to ascertain their take on the deplorable performance and what action(s) they intend to take to addres the situation. There should be targeted meetings either now or after the proposed conference with different groups -- for example, religious leaders, CSOs, college and university student associations etc. All our leaders and especially the religious and community leaders should use their previledged positions to talk to their congregations and stakeholders about the importance of education. Even as a young and
