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It’s Student Testing Time!
The next several weeks are intense times for our S4 and S6 Students as they begin the UCE and UACE examinations. As an FYI, S4 in Uganda is equivalent to the final year of Junior High School, or 10th grade. From here, students go to Advanced Level (A-Level), formerly known as High School or just “Higher” locally. That is Senior 5 and Senior 6 (S5 and S6) which is equivalent to grade 11 and grade 12. Below is just a brief explanation of how rigorous these examinations really are for the students. We ask that you please keep them in your prayers during this stressful period. The Uganda Certificate of…
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Visitation Day March 2022
Welcome to Visitation Day at John Paul Secondary School! What a joyful day for the students…. this is the day they get to celebrate with a visit from their parents. Parents who are able, come from far and wide to participate in this important day, conducted once per each of the 3 terms in the school year. Visitation day serves multiple purposes. First, it offers the opportunity for the teachers to interact with the parents to evaluate student academic performance and discuss behavior and student acclimation to school. As you can image, that’s especially important this year after an almost 2-year hiatus. Secondly, Visitation Day allows the parents an opportunity…
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Do We Make A Difference?
Our donors deserve to see confirmation of our efforts. Here are some of John Paul School’s most recent outcomes and remember . . . they occurred DESPITE almost a year’s disruption in learning. Other measurable results: Six S-6 students earned passing grades in two principle passes, enabling them to join a university if they can pay the tuition. Most will pursue careers in Education because of its employability and affordability. An additional five S-6 students scored one principal pass. They may be eligible for tertiary learning institutions. Only five students failed the difficult exams . . . not unusual after a year of interrupted learning. They will most certainly retake…
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Hope . . . The Antidote
We are proud to announce that JPSS moved up more than 200 places in its national ranking among Ugandan secondary schools. We stand fourth in the Pallisa District, 874 out of 2094 nationally and 1022 as the best performing science school in the country. Administrator Fr. John Chrysostom and Headmaster Moses Bwayo offer valid reasons why the school is ranked so highly and enjoys such a great reputation. Fr. John: “The Ugandan Education system is mainly theoretical. Most graduates of this system can reason but without practical skills which is very dangerous. This can be attributed to the government’s failure to equip major institutions with the necessary equipment to provide…
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A Stark Reality: Ugandan Poverty and the Need for Education
Making a difference requires understanding the current situation. The Ugandan education system is challenging at best – adversely affected by the poverty it seeks to assuage. Consider this account – a story of two students within the Ugandan education system. Damba was born in a rural area of Uganda; his home was a thatched roof hut with no electricity or running water. His parents worked in the field – as he did from childhood on. Damba began his schooling (P-1 to-P-7) in a Ugandan government school, unfortunately not one of the Universal Primary Education (UPI) free tuition schools. Tuition, book and supplies fees, though extremely low, were barely affordable for…
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Bridging the Gap . . . A Plan
How do you regain an entire year of learning lost to closed schools with no capability for long-distance or virtual learning? It’s a challenge! The Ugandan government has put in place a three-year educational plan that will ultimately get students back into a regular school schedule by 2024. This plan utilizes shorter terms, fewer holidays and use of normal exam time for intensified studies. The new education schedule looks like this: School Year First Term Second Term Third Term 2021:Terms of 12 Weeks August 9, 2021 to October 29, 2021 November 15, 2021 to February 4, 2022 February 22, 2022 to May 2, 2022 2022:Terms of 12 weeks May 16,…
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JPSS Update – Finally, Good News
Photo of JPSS Headmaster Bwayo Moses The COVID pandemic has had a tremendous impact on students and parents here in the USA . . . but for the students of Uganda, it has been devastating! The government’s extreme shutdown did keep the virus from spreading and the death rate has been kept low but has had catastrophic effects on schools and students. Ugandan students have missed an entire year of studies. They don’t have the option of virtual or distance learning. Most do not have computers or internet at home; many don’t even have electricity. Finally, some Good News! As of October 15th, the government has given permission for three…
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Covid-19 Update . . . never a greater need for your support
For all of us, Covid-19 has been difficult and disruptive . . . but for the school children of Uganda, it has become disastrous. In Uganda, which has minimal provision for health care, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to show increased cases as well as rising deaths. Thus, the government has taken rigorous steps . . . from closing all borders to governing transportation, to restricting travel between villages and regions to closing ALL schools. All schools have been closed since March with almost no opportunities for distance or online learning. An opening of ALL schools, planned for September 21, has now been delayed until October 15 and ONLY P7, S4,…
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First a Student—–Now a Teacher
We are so excited to share this amazing story with all of you. In 2007, John Paul Secondary School first opened its doors to 14 eager students. One of those students was Lawrence Omongin. He studied at JPSS for four years and then moved on to higher education. We’re very pleased to announce that Lawrence completed his studies last year and joined the staff at JPSS as a Physics teacher! Lawrence, you are an excellent example to all the students at JPSS. They will look up to you and see that if they study hard they too can someday come back to JPSS as one of the great teachers! Congratulations…
