Nakaseke teachers forced to write PLE over poor results

Forty Primary Seven teachers in Nakaseke District have undergone competency examinations to address concerns regarding their teaching effectiveness.

The surprise decision undertaken by the district leadership follows abysmal performance in the Primary Leaving Examinations results released earlier in January.

The PLE results for Nakaseke revealed a concerning trend: 604 candidates (12.9%) achieved first division, while 2,706 candidates (57.9%) secured second division.

Additionally, 728 candidates (15.6%) attained third division, and 361 candidates (7.7%) fell into Division Four.

Disturbingly, 276 candidates (5.6%) failed, with 138 candidates (2.9%) not sitting the examinations out of 4,813 registered candidates in 2023.

Several schools emerged as particularly problematic, with Kagando Mixed Primary School, Kikamulo C/U, Timuna P/S, and St Steven Standard P/S among those with high failure rates.

Reacting to these results, Ignatius Koomu, the LCV Chairperson of Nakaseke, instructed the Education Department to subject teachers from 15 poorly performing schools to competence tests.

Subsequently, these teachers underwent mock examinations at Nakaseke Technical Institute to assess their subject knowledge and teaching competency, mirroring the 2023 pupil examinations.

Koomu attributed the students' poor performance to potential teacher incompetence and emphasised the district's commitment to ensuring student success.

In response to shifting blame onto teachers by headteachers, the district plans to administer PLE to teachers next year and take disciplinary action against those who fail.

Consequences for failing teachers include demotion and possible referral to the Rewards and Sanctions Committee. Headteachers of schools with over 10% PLE failure rates also face demotion.

However, Emmanuel Kizza, Chairperson of Uganda National Teachers Union, Nakaseke branch, highlighted systemic issues such as understaffing and lack of accommodation as factors contributing to poor performance.

Despite efforts to address these issues, including resolutions to demote underperforming headteachers and administer PLE to teachers, protests from the Teachers' Union have led to policy halts by the Ministry of Education and Sports.

The ongoing dialogue underscores the complex challenges facing education in Nakaseke and the imperative to address systemic issues alongside teacher competence assessments.