Guidance and Counsel

The A level results for Christ School finally arrived (the person collecting them was simultaneously graduating from University, so it took a while). This is the final two years of secondary school, Senior 5 and Senior 6, roughly equivalent to Junior/Senior high school or community college in the US.

Overall the news was encouraging--the highest score was the same as last year, and the number of kids with two principle passes which are required for University, doubled I think (to 18, out of 31 kids who took the exam). I haven't seen any official summaries, but that sounded good. However, there are a few disturbing trends. One is that students who have spent their lives at more successful schools elsewhere in Uganda are still migrating back to Bundibugyo for the exams, being allowed to enroll at the last minute at a couple of the very poorly equipped local schools and then far outscoring our students. This means that the small pool of government sponsorships which are allocated by a quota system (11 I think) will be, at least in part, siphoned away from CSB grads. Second, I think our highest scorers both last year and this year are boys who spent most of their school life also outside of Bundi, though they did come back for A level. This points out that, for the majority who schooled here, our teachers are up against a decade of poor primary school and lower secondary school experience by the time they receive these kids in A level. Combined with poor early childhood nutrition, general poverty, lack of books or a stimulating environment . . we can't expect the school to reverse all of that in 2 years of A level studies. And lastly, the science students fared very poorly. The boy who was top of his class for O level, and our own students Birungi who was also among the most promising kids, did not pass ANY of their sciences. None of the students in the primarily science combinations did well, I am told. There may be a combination of hopelessness, poor study habits, conflicts with staff, attitude . . . but it is very demoralizing for both students and staff to see these results.

So where do we go from here? The staff are busy giving students advice, and the Pierces are I am sure overwhelmed by the 18 kids who qualify for University and have to scramble for fees. We spent a large chunk of time in the last two days making phone calls and talking to trusted Ugandan friends, getting advice for Birungi, as we've done for our other graduating boys. Birungi had dreams of becoming a Clinical Officer, a physician-assistant level health worker. His grades would not even get him into a registered nursing course, maybe not even into a lower level enrolled nursing course. And the overwhelming weight of advice from both CSB teachers and our health center staff is that he should repeat A level, try another school, a new environment, with renewed passion for hard work. Two more years of tuition . . we are pondering the investment and what is best for him.

Meanwhile Luke spent a day in a seminar at RVA learning about the entire college admission process. He has already taken his first try at SAT's, goes on line to research colleges, talks to his very competent guidance counselor at school regularly. He is in an environment that is well equipped (much better equipped than we are!!) to advise and direct.

I think the way that God has overlaid our life such that we face issues with our own biological kids and the kids we have taken under our wing here, is instructive to our hearts. It reminds me of the way things could be, and will be by God's power one day in Bundibugyo. It reminds me that our boys are all very similar under their varied hues of skin, and all longing for validation and success and opportunity and love. And it shows me how important the Pierces' emphasis on counseling really is. Luke has benefited from it, and we would love to see someone here in Bundibugyo devoting their efforts in a similar manner, researching options for school, documenting processes and requirements, connecting kids to scholarships. Because mobility and working with 19 to 25 year old males are two pieces of the package, we're hoping for a mature single guy or a couple. Meanwhile the Pierces have hired two more spiritually-oriented counselors for the school, a former Bible School student sponsored by the mission now giving back to the community . . he has already led three boys to the Lord in the last month. And this week his female counterpart arrived, a middle-aged lady who was formerly a teacher but has a passion for prayer and counsel, and was led to the school by contact through her relative who teaches here. We are thankful for Tibamwenda and Eunice and pray that they will be used by God to lead and direct students in paths of life.