By Emmanuel Mandella

In an inspiring address to pupils and parents at St. Augustine Modern Primary School last week, the Western Equatoria State Minister of General Education and Instruction, Grace Apollo, lauded learners in the state for their unwavering integrity during examinations.

She described it as the “foundation of future leadership.”

“Our children are very clever because during national examinations, they always use their brains in class without cheating or entering with machot like what other learners are doing in other parts of the country,” Minister Grace stated.

She added, “We don’t encourage shortcuts as we want to produce God-fearing leaders, not leaders who grow up with corruption.”

Her remarks came after the release of the 2024 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) results, which saw a remarkable 100% pass rate in Western Equatoria State, including conflict-affected counties of Tombura, Ezo, Nagero, and Mundri East.

According to a report obtained by The City Review, it indicated that 4,435 pupils sat for the exams across Western Equatoria State, and 3,997 passed, 1,793 girls and 2,204 boys, while only 368 failed, including 77 absentees.

The improvement is attributed to increased commitment from teachers, pupils as well as parents.

Minister Grace, who once served as the Commissioner for Yambio County, urged parents not to focus solely on national rankings but to be proud of their children’s honesty and academic efforts.

“Many of you are saying, why are our children not appearing in the top ten. Please, I want you to be proud of these children as they always do what they know. In some places, students pass through leaked exams, but not here. We are building a generation that leads with integrity,” she emphasized.

The ministry encouraged young girls to concentrate on education rather than engaging in early love relationships.

“Let our girls stay in school. Let us empower them to become tomorrow’s ministers, engineers, doctors and even presidents.”

“A child who passes with their brain is a leader of tomorrow,” Ms. Grace stated.

Despite the successes, she acknowledged ongoing challenges faced by both teachers and parents in the state.

She said most of the educators are working under very tough conditions, with limited resources and delayed salaries.

According to her, especially in rural areas, parents often struggle to provide school fees and learning materials, and they still manage to push their children toward academic achievement.

One teacher from Ezo County, Mr. Taban Severino, expressed pride in his pupils’ performance.

“Even though we lack enough textbooks and face insecurity, our children have proven they can achieve with determination.”