Hilder Nursery and Primary School started in 2010 and now boasts 15 years of existence. It has an enrollment of 846 pupils as of February 2025 with a staff of 32 teachers and 28 support staff.
It currently occupies a small piece of land located in the heart of Gulu City in Pece-Laroo Gulu Division on Plot 3, Kilak Road, next to Jehovah Witness.
Despite its small size, it has been registering several records of good academic performance. In 2019, it registered 15 (100%) first graders. In 2020, it registered 20 first graders (100%). In 2022, it registered 31 (100%) first graders. In 2023, it registered 33 pupils in first grade while 7 pupils got second grade. In 2024, it got 20 first graders and 13 second graders..
Hilder Nursery and Primary School is one that is working towards the revival of education in Acholi Sub-Region. Acholi Sub-Region was an academic giant in the 1930s-1970s. It was the second to East Mego Sub-Region in terms of access to higher education at Makerere. However, from 1986 when the NRM Government ascended into power, Acholi Sub Region, sons and daughters turned into academic dwarfs as compared to other regions in Uganda.
Caption by Goeffery Okello Innocent
GULU CITY-WED. FEB 26, 2025
By Okumu Livingstone Langol
The Guardian News correspondent had a one-one-one interview with the headteacher Hilder Nursery and Primary School to find out why the school is registered among the top performers in the Acholi Sub-Region while many schools in the region fail to register even a single pupil passing Primary Leaving Examinations in first grade.
The Headteacher Muhindo Ernest revealed that the secret lies in well-trained and experienced teachers that handle academic matters in a simple way to the learners.
“We have supported the parents who in turn support learning to their children they entrust to us. “We have a fully motivated staff in terms of feeding, and we pay their salaries timely. “We also give some bursaries to our pupils,” Muhindo said.
“We invest in continuous education by sponsoring some of them who excel for further studies. “We invest in continuous development of our staff, we organise for them seminars on financial literacy and source avenues for further studies for them,” Muhindo said.
“We feel our parents support our school. “A case in point, if the school is opening on January 30, 2025, all pupils will report on that date. “If a child is sick, the very parent is informed to immediately come and pick the child for management in a good health,” the headteacher added.
“Beginning week three, we invite parents to come to school and attend classes together with their children and encourage them to participate, witness how the teachers are teaching and how the children are engaged in the class. “They even give us reports how their children do homework,” Muhindo said.
“However, we have noticed that some parents do homework for their children. “Sometimes the children innocently question why they are undermarked when their parents helped them to do the homework. “You know, many children believe a lot in their parents, that their parents know it all,” Muhindo revealed.
Hilder Nursery and Primary School was founded by Charles Oryem, aka Atudo, who has doubled as the school director since 2010.
Such excelling schools are, however, dotted around Gulu City. Other notable ones include Credo Primary School, El-Shaddai Primary School, Mother Ludia Primary School, Ocer Campion Primary School and Emmanuel Primary School, Laroo.
