Dear Caleb and members in this forum,
Permit me to extend my sincere apologies for being silent for a long time. I was sick and had to undergo a surgical procedure in Mombasa in December 2012 and now just getting better. Thanks to you all for your prayers. During this time, I had limited access to internet and missed many things. However, this will be history in the next 10 or so months as I have now embarked on an intercontinental postdoctoral research programme, courtesy of the University of KwaZulu-Natal in which I will have the facilities/technologies to meaningfully engage with members, time permitting. Well, members I must say I am feeling the pain from these yearly results more than any of you. I vividly recall the 1970s when Ombaderuko Primary School I completed from would give 50 – 70 candidates in Grade I and saw this trend declining to a level that in my own year, only two of us made it to Grade I out of over 100 candidates. I also had an unimagined opportunity to join Kabalega SS which those days was one of the academic giants/stars in the Country and during my year only 4 of us out of 120 candidate still made to Grade 1. Caleb, your understanding of the whole matter in terms of a complicated surgery, pains me even more because I just came out of it and know what it means. I ask myself, have we all exhausted the options at our disposal? What level of commitment have we exhibited to tackle this matter? I remember when I informed the net/forum about my graduation in 2010, it generated a list of all PhD holders in the region, the question I still ask is: where are we/they? In terms of human resources, I strongly believe West Nile is well endowed. Why are they sighing away from this noble responsibility? Caleb, I totally buy the idea of convening a stakeholders meeting and I would gladly volunteer to be a member in the organizing team. I thought the Education Committee we had should have been the right unit in the forum to spearhead this. If there is anything that you think I can contribute towards this regional convention, kindly let me know. I am genuinely committed this cause because I feel we can change the statuesquo and also because “I even managed to make it to where I am, and why not them” Our younger generation in the region can do better with our support, guidance and leadership. One thing that keeps bothering me is the issue of language policy in this country. It has consequences for literacy and numeracy learning at lower levels and impacts badly on our children if we sit and just watch. The World Bank argues that to progress to a second language, one needs to be fluent in his/her mother tongue. To what extent have we, as members of this forum, considered the lack those simple reading story books Like “Ondia pi Draru be” we used to read those days as a contributory factor in worsening PLE results in our region? Why do I say this? Just because I no longer see them and those that are coming up are written by “the Bashabes” with questionable Lugara. I think we have many professional Language teachers, the district has even a Language Board, and there are some people like me who would like to volunteer and do something towards addressing the challenge of revitalizing, Lugbara, developing, enriching and on a sustainable and promoting it on sustainable basis as other ethnic groups do. Our Lugbara should not die. One of the root causes of poor performance in Primary which lays foundation for subsequent levels of education has to do with the fact that pupils these days leave primary level of education without the required reading, writing and numerical skills. We need to address this squarely in the context of the current thematic curriculum teaching in which mother tongue or one’s first language is a cruel factor. >From 2011 – 2012, myself, Francis Enjata from St. Joseph’s College, Ombaci by then, Jasindo Afebu from Micu Primary School and Mrs Christine Debo, the Deputy Speaker of Arua District Local Government sat under the LETTER Project, sat together through series of workshops and wrote four bilingual story books which New Readers Project of the University of KwaZulu Natal is finalizing. At an appropriate time, I would invite interested members to view the books and see their worth for our new readers and consider mass production for distribution to our primary schools and community libraries I have set up in the region. To motivate literacy and numeracy learners we also need to consider introducing our rural folks to ICTs. Look at an example of a photo I took in Otravu Primary School when we visited our community library there with a mobile computer laboratory from our partner Maendelo Foundation which can be accessed through this link: http://www.elearning-africa.com/photo_competition_home.php On the page you will see two options: SUBMIT Or VOTE. Click on the vote and look for a photo with the capitation *“Computers excite and motivate intergenerational literacy learners in a rural school*”. It is probably the 8th or 9th photo in the group. If you do not mind members, give the region your vote because these are things we would like to promote to address some of the problems we are talking about. I am sorry for the long post, but I think the end justifies the means. Willy* * On Thu, Feb 28, 2013 at 11:26 AM, Caleb Alaka <calebal...@gmail.com> wrote: > Ismail, I think this convention will assist to bring us at par with all > the actors, there are many questions which need answers, there is need to > measure the feeling and pain of all actors. If members agree, we can move > to the next step > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Feb 28, 2013, at 11:21 AM, banduga ismail <bani...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: > > Members, > > Lets try to implement this proposal, CONVENE A STAKEHOLDERS MEETING AND > ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. It pains when other schools post the best candidates as > scoring 25 points and our schools post 17, other post pass rates above 80% > and ours less than 50%. > > ------------------------------ > *From:* Caleb Alaka <calebal...@yahoo.com> > *To:* George Afi Obitre-Gama <gobi...@yahoo.com>; A Virtual Network for > friends of West Nile <westnilenet@kym.net> > *Cc:* A Virtual Network for friends of West Nile <westnilenet@kym.net> > *Sent:* Thursday, 28 February 2013, 10:49 > *Subject:* Re: [WestNileNet] A-Level Results WN Results - Pg 8 Monitor > > Dear Gordon and good people, we have been through this year in and year > out, when UNEB announces results at any level, every time, I feel like a > person awaiting the outcome of a complicated surgery. There is that moment > when the silence of a Doctor emerging from the theater tells the story. > Question is do the Local Authorities feel this pain as much as we do, Are > school administrators saddened by failure rate the way we are. If a head > master has the guts to refer a senior, prominent and influential person or > citizen who is an OB to a school to the Deputy in charge of academics to > answer a simple query, does that not speak volumes about the attitude of > School Administrators about education in our schools. It is frustrating. In > some districts, Local Authorities punish head teachers whose schools enjoy > mediocrity. SHOULD WE CONVEN A STAKE HOLDERS meeting in Arua involving all > head teachers, political leaders, Civil Servants, Parents, Students, > religious leaders, business and opinion leaders, academics and elders and > prominent sons and daughters of the region in other words representatives > of the above class and come up with a lasting solution to the educational > malaise in our region. We need such a convention in West Nile > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Feb 28, 2013, at 8:11 AM, George Afi Obitre-Gama <gobi...@yahoo.com> > wrote: > > Brethren, > > I have gone through the today's Monitor list(pg 8) of A-level rankings one > by one(1-273) without seeing our prominent schools in West Nile apart from > Mvara SS which is ranked a whooping no. 187!!! I don't see Ombaci, Muni, > Nyapea and others and they happen not be listed - probably my eyes are > getting old!! > > Tabu Butagira should probably clarify if another list exists - otherwise I > see the performance as already pathetic not withstanding the fact that the > best P7 Pupil in West Nile got an agg 7. > > I am very angry and annoyed. What is happening? Are we not engaging our > youngsters enough!! > > > _______________________________________________ > 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 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 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 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 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. _______________________________________________
