By Honest Kaberuka
The Kabale District Woman Member of Parliament, Hon. Catherine Atwakiire Ndamira, has urged parents to desist from abusing learners who were ungraded and instead advise them to repeat the exam.
Hon. Atwakiire sounded this yesterday at Bikomeero Church of Uganda parish, in Kavu parish, Maziba Sub County, during the Thanksgiving service towards raising funds to construct the new church that is currently at the foundation level. A total of 88,269 were ungraded out of the 736,2932 candidates who sat for the recently released primary leaving examinations.
Hon. Atwakiire said that parents should provide a conducive environment for their children to study and seek help from teachers in order to help them perform better, pointing out that repeating the PLE exam is not a failure but an opportunity to improve and excel.
She also urged parents to refrain from using harsh words and physical punishment as a means of discipline, as it can have long-lasting negative effects on a child’s mental and emotional wellbeing and also increase school dropouts, hence increasing crimes in society. She reminded parents that the PLE results do not define a child’s worth and that there are other opportunities for them to succeed in life. She contributed over 2 million shillings towards the construction of the new church, and about 3.7 million shillings were collected.
Preaching during the service, the parish priest of Birambo Church of Uganda, in Maziba Sub County, Kabale District, Rev. Justine Kyomuhendo, said that while many students celebrated their success in the exams, there were also those who did not perform as well as they had hoped, and this has led to a lot of disappointment and frustration among parents, who in turn have resorted to harsh words and actions towards their children who were ungraded. She emphasized the need for parents to support and encourage their children, especially during times of failure.
