Candidates continue to fail Maths, English in PLE

 

The Uganda National Examinations Board has today, Friday released results for the 2017 Primary Leaving Examinations.

A total of 646190 pupils from 12751 centres across the country sat for last year’s examinations and 466235(76%) of these were beneficiaries of the Universal Primary Education (UPE)

The 2017 results released on Friday indicated that performance in Social Studies and Science recorded an improvement whereas was not the case with Mathematics and English language.

According to the UNEB Executive Secretary Dan Odong, pupils continued getting difficulties in mathematics and English in cases where questions required candidates to apply common knowledge.

“In English, pupils are more comfortable with direct questions compared to those where students have to do writing,”Odong said.

He revealed that there was a decline in distinctions for both English and Mathematics.

The UNEB chief said that the failure rate was high in UPE schools at eleven percent as compared to four in non- Universal Primary Education schools around the country.

Odongo explained that most non-UPE schools are in urban areas, where performance has always been high, adding that for UPE schools in urban areas, performance is not different from their counterparts from non-UPE schools.

It was also indicated that in first division boys ,32120(5.1%)  performed better than girls, 25078(4%) in last year’s Primary Leaving examinations whereas 3.8 percent of the boys failed compared to 5.4% girls who failed.

In failures, the eastern region had the highest number of failures with districts like Kween,Bukwo, Tororo,Kayunga,Mbale,Mayuge,Kamuli,Buvuma,Budaka and Bududa being at the top of failures  respectively.

Withheld results

According to UNEB, a total of 2559 candidates had their results withheld by the examination body pending investigation over cases related malpractice but Odong said that these will be accorded a fair hearing.

“All candidates whose results have been withheld will be accorded a hearing by the Board's Examinations Security Committee as required by the law of the natural justice. Those candidates who will be cleared will have their results released,” he noted.

A total of 308 candidates of these were from Kyenjojo district and Mukono with 256 among the districts with the highest number of candidates with exams withheld.

The Education Minister, Janet Museveni emphasized the need for continued efforts geared ensure that both boys and girls continue to attend and finish school.

“I wish to applaud the effort of parents educating girls, for the third year, the number of girls sitting for PLE exams has been higher than that of boys knowing that educating girls creates a firm foundation,” Janet Museveni said.

The total number of female candidates that sat for last year’s PLE was 333495(51%) compared to 312585(489%) for their male counterparts.

The State Minister for Primary Education, Rosemary Seninde however noted that there is a continued problem of schools that deny school fees defaulters a chance to sit for final exams, which she said was wrong.

“We need to intervene and help these poor children,” Seninde noted.

She noted that unlicensed schools will not be allowed to operate in the forthcoming school term pointing out the Bridge International schools.