NYAGATARE – Eighteen pupils at Hillside Day and Boarding Primary School in Matimba Sector, Nyagatare District, received certificates of merit and scholastic materials for their outstanding performance during the 2011 national examinations.Out of 135 candidates who sat for Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) at the school, last year, 115 passed with first grade distinctions, while 20 pupils came in the second grade, ranking the school the overall best in the district, second on the provincial level and thirteenth countrywide.The 18 who were awarded passed with grand distinction, passing all exams with 5/5 points.Handing over the awards, the school’s founding chairman, Col. (rtd) Thadeo Gashumba, described the pupils’ performance as a continued pride to the school. "The performance you exhibited during last year’s exams is a sign that Hillside continues to excel academically. The efforts and strength we put in mobilizing and encouraging you to study hard have been rewarded,” he said.He challenged parents to send their children to school."When you look back and see how Matimba Sector was before Hillside was established, you can realize that the school has made a positive impact in the area.” Gashumba, however, lamented lack of district’s support in the school’s plans to expand its premises."We have made several requests to the district since 2005 to help us expand the school and construct a secondary school wing but to no avail. We want to put up modern offices and classroom blocks but the district has not helped us to get land for construction. This is the main challenge we are facing in our efforts to realise our vision,” he said.In an interview with The Sunday Times, Eva Kabatesi, one of the pupils who were awarded attributed her success to hard work and determination. "My parents and teachers also encouraged me all the time. I want to continue excelling even at the highest levels of my education.”