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"Dear Brothers,
I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for
the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great
importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my
conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to
an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine
ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual
nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with
prayer and suffering. However, in today's world, subject to so many rapid
changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in
order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength
of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has
deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to
adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. For this reason, and well
aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I
renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to
me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February
2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant
and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by
those whose competence it is.
"Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for
all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask
pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care
of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary,
so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in
electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly
serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to
prayer."
Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) has today released the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education results for 2011.
Uganda National Examination Board secretary (UNEB) Mathew Bukenya handed
over the results to education minister Jessica Alupo who released them
to the public this morning at Statistics House in Kampala. A total of 103,000 candidates sat for the examination, and it has been announced that the results show a 98 per cent pass rate!
The
chairperson of the Uganda National Examinations Board has said the
overwhelming majority of teachers are grossly lacking in the qualities
necessary for them to carry out their roles effectively.
Fagil Mandy said this explains the high failure rate in most of Uganda’s schools.
Less than one teacher out of 100 in Uganda loves their country or looks
for new knowledge to improve their quality of teaching, according to
Mandy.
Less than two read, do research or even understand their learners, he
said, during the release of last year’s Uganda Advanced Certificate of
Education (UACE) Examination results at Statistics House yesterday.
Mandy said he did research among teachers and discovered shocking
revelations that could be contributing to the failure rates in Ugandan
schools.
He said he used 24 parameters set by a sample of 30,000 teachers stating what a good teacher does to shape an all-round learner.
The sample, Mandy said, was drawn from primary and secondary school teachers all over the country.
He said much as the teachers had acknowledged the things that are
essential for them to be able to shape a learner, those who reported
doing those very things were less than 10 out of every 100 teachers.
Reading, listening to learners and planning lessons, according to the
respondents, were done the most, but even then, it was a paltry 330
teachers out of the population sample of 3,840 or 8.59% who said they
did them.
These were followed by teachers who said they guided and counselled
their students as well as practised God’s wish. For each of the two
categories, 300 out of 3,840 teachers or 7.8125% said they did them.
They were followed by 270 out of 3,840 who said they control their
emotions. A total of 240 or only 6.25% said they evaluate their work or
even inspire their pupils.
Only 70 teachers (1.822916%) reported that they keep physically fit and
healthy, while 60 (1.5625%) said they do research, innovate, understand
their learners or correct and edify their learners.
Only 40 (1.041666%) said they understand the social, political and economic environment of Uganda.
The research, according to Mandy, also showed that 100 teachers (2.6%)
possess multi-skills or take on multi-tasks, while 90 (2.3%) keep time
or find other ways of earning reliable income.
He stated that 120 teachers (3.1%) adapt to changes, change people or practise honesty and integrity.
It also showed that only 210 (5.4%) of the teachers communicate
effectively and only 180 (4.6875%) act as an example to their pupils.
Mandy noted that the teachers cannot give to a learner what they do not have for example the quality of being enterprising.
He said the situation calls for quick action on the part of teachers and parents.
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