By Mike Rwothomio

The leadership of Nyapea Sub-County, in Zombo District has mooted a strategic plan aimed at enhancing the academic performance of Primary Seven candidates in the forthcoming Primary Leaving Examinations administered by the Uganda National Examinations Board.

The initiative seeks to rally the Zombo District Education Department, headteachers, teachers, parents, School Management Committees, development partners, political leaders, religious leaders, and cultural leaders to actively contribute towards improved learner outcomes.

This deliberate multi-stakeholder effort is intended to address the persistent low performance of P7 candidates in the sub-county.

Nyapea Sub-County leadership has taken a bold step to champion the campaign, expressing concern over the consistently poor results recorded over the years and exploring sustainable strategies to scale up excellence in PLE.

Speaking during a recent one-day education baraza convened with key stakeholders, Nyapea Sub-County Chief Jawothu Peter Sumba tasked headteachers and School Management Committees (SMCs) to set clear standards for excellent performance and take the lead in driving the agenda.

“We have analysed previous PLE results, and all stakeholders must now address the matter of low performance,” Sumba emphasised.

According to data presented by the Zombo District Education Department, Nyapea Sub-County has consistently ranked among the lowest-performing sub-counties out of the fifteen lower local government units in the district over the past ten years (2015–2025).

In that period, the sub-county recorded only four candidates in Division One, with few attaining Division Two, while the majority of learners fell in Divisions Three and Four or remained ungraded.

Nyapea Sub-County hosts six government-aided primary schools out of Zombo District’s 92 public primary schools: Nyapea Boys Primary School, Nyapea Girls’ Primary School, Guna Primary School, Aja Primary School, Ajei Primary School, Palei Yugu Primary School, and the privately owned St Kizito Primary School.

The sub-county’s poor performance mirrors the wider dismal results recorded by Zombo District in the 2025 PLE, where the district was ranked 173rd out of 176 districts and municipalities nationally, and 12th out of 13 in the West Nile sub-region.

Stakeholders also expressed concern over the high prevalence of teenage pregnancies among school-going girls.

 Latest statistics from the District Community Department indicate that 3,896 cases of teenage pregnancies were recorded between 2024 and 2025 from antenatal care visits alone, with many stakeholders noting that actual community figures could be significantly higher.

District Interventions

Zombo District Senior Education Officer Patrick Bikadho Othuma assured stakeholders of immediate interventions, including:Capacity building for teachers and headteachers , Establishment of four ICT centres to support teacher research and professional development,  

Increased instructional supervision,  

Exposure visits for best practices

Performance-based promotion of caretaking headteachers.

Development partners in attendance, including Fields of Life, SPACE, and Life Concern, pledged support in priority areas such as improving classroom environments, constructing teachers’ quarters, and enhancing teacher capacity.

Mr. Kakura Emmy Kizito, Executive Director of Life Concern, urged the District Education Department to prioritise training of both teachers and learners on examination language to enable candidates to better understand questions and score higher marks in national examinations.

While acknowledging broader social, economic, and cultural factors affecting rural schools, Kakura attributed much of the poor PLE performance and school dropout in Zombo District to “unregulated social amenities.”

Zombo District LC V Chairman James Uruna Uyullu assured stakeholders that more teachers would be recruited to address the acute shortage, particularly Grade III teachers, following a planned wage analysis by the District Education Department.

He further urged SMC members to strengthen supervision, monitoring, and evaluation of learner academic performance rather than focusing solely on budget approvals.

Resident District Commissioner for Zombo, Festus Ayikobua, described the baraza as a pivotal platform for identifying and addressing critical education challenges in the district.

He announced that the next evaluation baraza would be held during the second term.

Sub-County Action Points

The meeting resolved on the following key action points:Organise barazas at parish level involving the wider community , Build capacity of teachers on the new curriculum , Provide career guidance to both teachers and learners,  

Enforce measures and arrest of pupils found roaming in the community during school hours.

PLE Results 2025 

In the 2025 PLE, Zombo District had 2,768 registered candidates with the following outcomes: Division One: 25  

• Division Two: 635  
• Division Three: 1,008  
• Division Four: 459  
• Ungraded: 610  
• Division X (did not sit): 31

The 2024 district statistics also revealed a 10 percent school dropout rate, largely attributed to teenage pregnancies and early marriages.

In recent times, several interventions have been initiated to address education performance in Zombo District.

The district is currently finalising its Education Ordinance, which contains a raft of constructive measures aimed at improving academic standards.

On the other side, The Alur Kingdom has rolled out various strategies focused on learner retention and enhanced academic performance. Similarly, civil society organisations including LICO, Nebbi-NGO Forum, CEFORD, and MEMPROW continue to implement targeted programmes aimed at promoting academic excellence across the district.

Stakeholders for a recent community Baraza in Nyapea Sub-county.

Mike Rwothomio is news editor at zoomer Africa your number one grassroot information hub