An air of anticipation has swept through seven underperforming UPE (Universal Primary Education) schools in Oyam district after a transformative educational learning visit to Abalokweri Primary School in Apac district. Facilitated by the Foundation for Inclusive Community Help (FICH), the exchange aimed to glean insights from Abalokweri, renowned for its exceptional academic achievements despite rural challenges.
Located in Abalokweri village, Akokoro parish, Apac district, Abalokweri Primary School has consistently outshined expectations over the past decade. In the 2023 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) results, it ranked among Apac’s top performers, securing the second spot with all students passing in divisions one and two, an achievement mirrored by the seven struggling schools in Oyam district.
Victoria Harriet Anyango, FICH’s Programs Manager, emphasized the visit’s purpose is to foster collaboration and tackle challenges hindering academic success in Oyam’s UPE schools. Anyango cited Abalokweri’s similarities to Oyam’s struggling schools, making it an ideal model for emulation.
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Arazi Geoffrey, Abalokweri’s Headteacher, attributed their success to several factors, including a boarding section spanning Nursery to Primary Seven, promoting stakeholder engagement. Group work, school feeding programs, and teacher motivation—rewarded with payment per lesson—also contributed. Discipline, enforced through English-speaking policies and teacher involvement, stood paramount.
Arazi urged educators to view teaching as a divine calling. Echoing the sentiment shared by Francis Opeto Akaki, Abalokweri’s PTA Chairperson, Akaki praised the school’s accountability measures, which bolstered parental and stakeholder support, simplifying daily operations. He underscored the magnetism of school meetings, enhanced by quality meals, including meat and soft drinks, to boost attendance.
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Yet, challenges persist. Akaki highlighted the need for reliable water and improved sanitation facilities, appealing to stakeholders and well-wishers for intervention.
Inspired by Abalokweri’s success, Oyam’s education stakeholders pledged to implement learned strategies in their schools, including Angweta, Alidi, Aloni, Omiri, and Lela Olok Primary Schools.
However, Benson Ongom, Oyam South’s Inspector of Schools, identified obstacles hindering academic progress. These included insufficient facilities, parental apathy, poverty, and societal issues like domestic violence.
The aftermath of the 2023 PLE underscored these challenges, with Oyam District recording 164 grade-one candidates from private schools and a distressing 20% dropout rate, representing 900 pupils attributed to meal shortage, child labor, and parental disengagement from education.
