Thanks Willy
Ezati Eric
>________________________________
> From: Willy Ngaka <wng...@gmail.com>
>To: A Virtual Network for friends of West Nile <westnilenet@kym.net>
>Sent: Thursday, 28 February 2013, 12:16
>Subject: Re: [WestNileNet] A-Level Results WN Results - Pg 8 Monitor
>
>
>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!!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>
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