Schools in Gulu Municipality have set a target of 700 pupils that it wants to pass in division one in this year’s 2012 Primary Leaving Examinations. 

Albert Ocaya, the Chairman of Gulu Municipality Examinations Committee noted that schools in Gulu district need to “up their game” if they are to compete with schools in other districts such as Lira municipality which performed better than Gulu last year.

Ocaya said that in the 2011 PLE results, schools in Lira municipality managed to register 701 candidates in division one unlike Gulu Municipality which got only registered 327, up from 279 in 2010.  

Ocaya revealed that the committee has embarked on an exercise that engages parents in supporting their children with their education, an initiative they hope will yields fruits. 

He said that parents have become too relaxed, yet they are supposed to support schools so that pupils sit regular exams in preparation for the forth coming PLE exams.

Gulu Municipality has registered 3, 123 candidates for the PLE exams this year, covering all the 44 private and government aided primary schools.

Grace Fiona Atim, Gulu’s Municipal Inspector of Schools attributes the slight increase in good performance by schools in the municipality to increased level of supervision. 

Atim adds that besides inspections, head teachers played a great role in so far as internal supervision is concerned, by ensuring that teachers are in school. 

She also applauded parents for their cooperation saying that they did a great job by paying their children early enough enabling schools to budget properly.