Parents in Kitgum District have raised alarm over the poor performance of primary school candidates in the 2026 district mock examinations, blaming lack of commitment among some teachers and limited parental support for the worrying results ahead of the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE).
The concerns follow results showing that 1,750 of the 2,633 candidates who sat the mock examinations failed to attain a graded division. The mock results, released by the Kitgum District Primary Schools Examination Committee, show that only 17 candidates, representing 0.65 per cent, attained Division One. Ten were boys, and seven were girls.
Another 320 candidates, representing 12.15 per cent, scored Division Two, while 339 were graded in Division Three and 192 in Division Four. A further 12 candidates were placed in Division X after failing to complete or sit all the required papers.
The results were recorded across 19 sub-counties and town councils, with significant variations in performance but persistently high failure rates in several areas. Labongo Akwang had the largest number of candidates, with 343, and produced four Division One candidates. However, it also recorded the highest number of Division U results, with 205 candidates failing to attain a graded division.
Orom Sub-county produced three Division One candidates out of 110, while 67 candidates were graded in Division U. In Labongo Amida, 105 of the 180 candidates were graded in Division U, with only one candidate attaining Division One.
Mucwini West, Mucwini East and Kiteng recorded no Division One candidates. Kiteng registered one of the district’s poorest results, with 81 of its 90 candidates graded in Division U, renewing concerns about Kitgum’s academic performance following a similarly poor showing in the 2025 PLE.
Samson Okello, a parent, attributed the poor performance partly to what he described as a lack of commitment among some teachers, saying some are increasingly distracted by income-generating activities outside teaching.
“Some teachers are not committed to teaching. They are more focused on money, outside their teaching jobs, and this affects the quality of education our children receive,” Okello said. Patricia Ajok, a parent from Oyuru Village in Labongo Amida Sub-county, said many parents, particularly in rural areas, are unable to support their children with revision because of low literacy levels.
“Many parents, especially in rural areas, are illiterate and cannot help their children with revision. This makes it difficult for some learners to get the support they need outside school,” Ajok said.
Last year, 831 of the 2,939 candidates who sat the PLE were graded in Division U. Only 31 candidates, representing 1.1 per cent, attained Division One, while 652 candidates, or 29.4 per cent, scored Division Two.
With the 2026 PLE approaching, the latest mock results have intensified calls for schools and education authorities to urgently address the factors contributing to poor performance.
Anthony Lam Lawot, the Kitgum District Education Officer, said improving academic performance requires the involvement of schools, parents and the wider community. He urged schools to use the remaining period before PLE to prioritise syllabus coverage, regular revision, continuous assessment, identification of weak learners, examination preparedness, and guidance and counselling for candidate classes.
Lawot also tasked head teachers and their deputies with strengthening instructional leadership and ensuring teachers adequately prepare before entering classrooms. He said classroom teaching should be more learner-centred, with teachers incorporating group and pair work, question-and-answer sessions, practical activities, peer learning, discussions and problem-solving.
“Head teachers should ensure that teaching is not dominated by the teacher. Teachers should encourage learners’ participation, group work, pair work, question-and-answer sessions, practical activities, peer learning, discussions, reading activities, problem-solving and appropriate use of locally available resources,” Lawot said.
He further called for stronger continuous assessment and timely feedback, saying teachers should regularly assess learners, mark their work promptly, provide constructive feedback, identify those falling behind and provide remedial teaching without charging them.
He also directed head teachers and their deputies to regularly inspect learners’ exercise books to establish whether work is being assigned and marked, corrections are being made, learners understand the work and the curriculum is being covered as required.
The district’s latest mock performance has therefore placed schools under renewed pressure to close learning gaps before PLE, while parents and education officials debate how best to reverse what is emerging as a persistent pattern of poor academic performance in Kitgum-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
