Only 98 pupils, representing 2% of the 5,702 candidates who registered for the 2025 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) Mock across 121 sitting centers in Oyam District, passed in Division One, raising fresh concerns about academic performance in the district.
According to results released on Tuesday, September 16, 764 pupils (13%) passed in Division Two, 845 (15%) in Division Three, and 1,285 (23%) in Division Four. Meanwhile, 2,439 pupils (43%) fell into Division U, and 224 (4%) were categorized under Division X.
The result put the best performing schools in this year’s mock as St. Gregory Primary School in Kamdini Sub County, which got 9 candidates in Division 1, 11 candidates in Division 2, and only 1 in Division 3. They did not get any failures. There was no candidate who was absent from the examination.
In overall, the best performing candidates in social studies is Ochen Peter Allen, from Atepe Primary School who got 92%, the best candidate in English, is Odongo Isaac from Nora Primary School who got 90%, the best candidate in Mathematics, is Opiru Jacob, from Meta Primary School, who got 98% while Puno Jonathan, from St. Mary’s Junior Primary School emerged the best in Science, with 84%.
Speaking at the release of results at Oyam District Council Hall, District Secretary for Education Beatrice Helen Auma described the outcome as disappointing and urged head teachers to double their efforts ahead of the national examinations.
Thomas Okello Bosa, the secretary of Oyam District Examinations Board, said performance had dropped compared to 2024, when 164 pupils passed in Division One. He blamed the trend on weak government-aided schools, noting that private schools largely boosted the Division One numbers.Social Studies, English, and Science were fairly done, but Mathematics was very poorly performed. Boys performed slightly better than girls. The main challenges remain inability to interpret questions due to weak English language use, and lack of competence-based assessment skills among teachers,” Okello said.
He recommended annual refresher training for teachers on competence-based assessments to close the gaps.
District Education Officer Weighs In
David Adea, the Oyam District Education Officer, linked the poor performance to long-standing gaps in early learning and weak parental involvement.
He promised stricter supervision and support for teachers, with a target of at least five first graders per school in the forthcoming PLE.
