By KT Reporter
Leaders and residents of Madi Okollo District have expressed concern over the poor performance recorded in the 2025 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), calling for urgent intervention to reverse the trend.
The results released on Friday show that the district registered only one first-grade candidate, achieved by a male refugee pupil from Rhino Camp settlement, down from two first graders in 2024.
Out of a total of 1,791 candidates who sat the 2025 PLE, 305 scored Division Two, 645 were placed in Division Three, 274 in Division Four, while 506 candidates fell in Division U.
Since attaining district status in 2019, Madi Okollo has consistently posted poor academic results at both primary and secondary school levels.
Local leaders attribute the trend to unregulated night discos, fishing along the River Nile, and market activities, which they say disrupt learners’ study time.
According to the results, Madi Okollo District ranked last nationally, and among districts in the West Nile region, performing below Obongi District, which registered two first-grade candidates.
The Speaker of Madi Okollo District Local Council, Faimah Letiru, described the results as worrying and warned that failure to act could plunge the district into a generational education crisis.
Similarly, the District Secretary for Social Services, Wahab Ondoga Siraj, said the results point to deeper structural challenges that require a collective effort to address.
Parents in the district have also voiced frustration over the continued poor performance and urged the government to intervene and address the root causes of the declining education standards.
Meanwhile, Harold Acemah, a retired diplomat from the West Nile region, said the poor academic performance across the country calls for a holistic overhaul of the education sector.
He emphasized the need for teachers to recommit to their responsibilities, parents to provide scholastic requirements and closely monitor their children, and the government to ensure timely and adequate funding for education.
Regionally, the PLE results show Arua City leading with 363 first-grade candidates, followed by Adjumani District with 111, Koboko with 98, Yumbe with 63, Maracha with 47, Pakwach with 38, Moyo with 35, Terego with 31, Nebbi Municipality with 26, Zombo with 25, Nebbi District with 24, Arua District with 13, and Koboko District with 10 first grades.
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