He urged parents to dedicate their children to God rather than resort to ancestral practices or witchcraft in search of academic success.
Lugazi Diocese education secretary Fr Charles Bwenvu has cautioned Primary Seven candidates at Naggalama Junior School in Mukono district against relying on prayer alone to excel in the forthcoming Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), urging them to combine faith in God with hard work, discipline and thorough preparation to achieve excellent results.
Bwenvu told the candidates that while prayer is important, it could not replace the effort required to attain top grades, including Aggregate 4 or a first grade.
“God’s wisdom does not replace hard work. It just guides your hard work. Do not leave your passing to luck. Read hard and God will bless your efforts,” he said.
He was preaching during a dedication Mass for the candidates at the school in Nakifuma-Naggalama Town Council on October 24, 2026.
Bwenvu urged the candidates to enter the examination room with confidence rather than fear, encouraging them to trust in their preparation and seek God’s guidance when faced with difficult questions.
“When you enter the examination room, do not enter saying you are going to fail, but enter with the spirit to pass. Let the Holy Spirit guide you when you encounter difficult questions,” he said.
He also cautioned parents against putting excessive pressure on their children, reminding them that examination results, although important, do not determine a learner’s entire future.
“Your results matter, yes. You should work hard for excellent results, but never believe that your worth as a person is determined by a number written on your results slip or whether you have passed or failed. You are far above that,” Bwenvu said.
He urged parents to dedicate their children to God rather than resort to ancestral practices or witchcraft in search of academic success.
“Dedicate your children to the Lord but not your ancestors. Success comes from God, not witchcraft,” he said.
Bwenvu further reminded the candidates that people have different abilities and achieve success at different stages in life. He encouraged them to identify and nurture their talents, saying poor examination results should not discourage them from pursuing their ambitions.
He said the candidates could become doctors, engineers, teachers, lawyers, priests, businesspeople, scientists and artists, among other professionals, adding that some would discover talents they had not yet recognised.
School targets improved performance
The school director, Lawrence Lugoloobi, thanked parents for paying school fees, saying their contributions enabled the institution to feed learners, buy scholastic materials, pay teachers and meet other operational costs.
He said the school focused not only on academic achievement but also on co-curricular activities to help learners develop their talents.
“We do not only end at scoring good grades in classrooms; we also cater for the co-curricular side. Over the years, we have had professionals, including doctors, engineers, teachers, agriculturalists and artists who earn a living from their talents,” Lugoloobi said.
The headteacher, Ronald Lujaganya, expressed confidence in the candidates, describing them as disciplined learners who had worked hard in preparation for the examinations.
He urged them to maintain their discipline, work together and consult their teachers whenever they encountered difficulties.
Lujaganya said the school’s academic performance had steadily improved since 2003, citing last year’s results as evidence of the progress.
“Last year, we had 52 candidates and all obtained First Grades, with three candidates scoring four aggregates. We were the best in Nakifuma-Naggalama Town Council, third in Mukono district and 13th in Uganda,” he said.
He challenged the current candidates to maintain the school’s record and strive for even better results.
The school has 86 candidates expected to sit the PLE on November 3 and 4, 2026.
“As teachers, we have done our best, and we believe everything will be fine,” Lujaganya said.
