Education officials and parents in Bukedea have hailed Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among for giving mathematical sets to all Primary Seven candidates in the district ahead of the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE).
A team from Anita Foundation led by her Political Assistant Zipora Akol early this week embarked on the distribution of the geometry sets at Kamutur Primary School in Kamutur Sub-county, which they say will cover all schools in the district.
Mr John Francis Okodi, the head teacher of Miroi Rock Primary School in Kolir Sub-county, said the sets are a timely support towards candidates.
“As a rural school, telling parents to buy a geometry set for a child meets a lot of resistance, so we are very happy with the support Madam Speaker has given to our learners,’ Mr. Okodi said.
Ms Jane Amidiong, whose son is in Primary Seven at Miroi Rock PS, said she had planned to sell a hen to buy a geometry set for him, and commended the Speaker for the support.
“It’s hard to get money this days, so when a helping hand comes by, we appreciate with gratitude,” 34-year-old Amidiong said.
Mr Steven Okurut, the Bukedea District Education Officer, praised Speaker Among’s endless support towards education in the area.
“I really want to commend Mama, the Rt Hon Speaker, for her love for education. I want to implore the people of Bukedea to have eyes to see because when we have great leaders like Hon. Speaker, we are bound to scale miles in development,” Mr Okurut said.
Her Political Assistant Zipora Akol said while handing over the sets to the candidates, they also pray with them, encourage and wish them success.
“We are giving sets to all PLE candidates in the district and inside the side, we have also provided enough pens and pencils for them to write their exams,” Ms Akol said on Wednesday.
Speaker Among, who is also the Bukedea Woman MP, has been supporting learners in candidate classes in the district.
Early this year, she supported all learners in Primary Six and Primary Seven classes across Bukedea district with scholastic materials in a bid to boost learning.
Ms Among has been running a consistent rewards programme on the best performing students in Bukedea district to enhance academic performance.
In the past seven years, she has rewarded over 1,000 students who got First grade in PLE across the district, each with a mattress and 100,000 shillings.
Last year, she rewarded each of the 198 candidates in the district, who got first grade in PLE, with the same materials.
In 2015, she rewarded 73 students who scored Division One, and the number grew to 137 in 2016. 2017 found 118 benefit while 223 students got the same gifts in 2018. In 2019, there were 159 beneficiaries, while the 2020 lot had 130.
The teachers of these best performing schools were also rewarded.
Ms Among also distributed solar panels and lighting systems to all the government-aided schools across Bukedea in a bid to increase study contact hours for learners and teachers.
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