Bishop of Madi and West Nile: Invest in education to eradicate ignorance and poverty

Adjumani |The Bishop of Madi and West Nile Diocese, Rt. Rev. Collins Andaku, has urged education stakeholders to support the education of girls and boys in order to eliminate poverty and ignorance in the community.

Bishop Andaku made the announcement while officiating at the 20th anniversary of Mummy’s Care Nursery and Primary in Adjumani.

He praised the school’s owners for investing in education, saying it will go a long way towards improving the lives of many people in the district, including refugees and nationals.

“This is the best investment done for the people in this land, an institution where you are investing for the future of our land, an investment which is going to fight ignorance, fight poverty and moral decadence in society,” Andaku said

Many people invest in things that destroy humanity, but this school will change the lives of many in the region, he added.

The Bishop also challenges parents, saying they are critical to the success of their children’s education. In order for their children to succeed in life, he urged parents to instil a fear of God in them at an early age.

Onesimus Dralega, the school’s proprietor, stated that 20 years ago, reading proficiency was a challenge, with even primary seven students struggling to read during exams.

“I was one day invited as a chief guest to celebrate the best performance and at that time the best candidates passed in division three, and the whole district performed very poorly, we then said what could be done to improve performance. I did a pilot study and asked the authorities of the town council to allow me to start an early learning centre,” Dralega told the gathering.

He stated that the founders of the school’s primary goal was to solve a problem in this district.

“We opened with only 4 learners, some parents risked sending their children to us, and now we are proud that there are more than 500 with about 40% of the learners being refugees,” Dralega said.

The Adjumani district chairperson, Ben Anyama, praised the school founders for opening Mummy’s Care Primary School, which he believes has helped to decongest some of the government schools that have high enrollments due to the presence of refugees.

“Our schools are now congested, our classrooms are not still enough, the classrooms are not even enough, the private sector has done a tremendous job by opening the private schools,” Anyama said.

Mummy’s Care Primary School is celebrating its 20th anniversary of academic excellence. It is a proud moment for the entire school community, including learners, teachers, and parents. Such achievements reflect dedication and commitment to education.

According to headteacher Justine Alule, the school’s success stems from teacher motivation, effective time management, and consistent study habits.

The school began presenting candidates for the primary leaving examination in 2015, when there was no examination centre number. That year, 32 learners were presented, with 27 passing in the second division and 5 in the third division.

Adjumani district has 172 primary schools and 134 Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres.