In-charge. Education minister Janet Museveni. PHOTO BY ALEX ESAGALA

In Summary

  • Education minister Janet Museveni called upon teachers to rethink their method of teaching and ensure practical skills are imparted on the learners.
  • Uneb’s executive secretary Dan Odongo reported on Friday that 571,252 candidates out of 646,190 who sat PLE last year passed. A total of 57,198 pupils were in Division One.
By PATIENCE AHIMBISIBWE

At least 127 primary schools managed to have candidates with Aggregate Four in last year’s Primary Leaving Examinations, the best grade according to Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) records.
A total of 13,275 primary schools across the country presented 646,190 pupils to Uneb for assessment in PLE to end their seven-year cycle in primary education.

Hillside Primary School in Kira Municipality topped the list with 65 of its pupils scoring Aggregate Four. They were followed by Gayaza’s Hormisdallen with 25 candidates.
About 10 schools each had at least 10 or more of their pupils get the best grade while 59 schools had one pupil score Aggregate Four.

Upcountry schools
Nkokonjeru Primary School in Mbale District from the eastern part of the country made it among the top 10 schools with high numbers of pupils with Aggregate Four, a list that is largely dominated by central schools from Wakiso, Kampala and Mukono districts.
The director of Schools and Teachers Innovating for Results, an NGO, Ms Eva Namukwaya, yesterday said teachers have a potential to deliver although they are sometimes affected by the surrounding environment. She explained that there is a need to change their mindset so that once they love their work it is easy to fight challenges such as absenteeism that is currently affecting the learning outcomes.
“All teachers have a potential to support learners. There are many issues that affect the teachers’ performance. We are ensuring that teachers’ mindset changes. Once this changes we expect better results for each learner. It may not necessarily mean Fours but you can see improvement,” Ms Namukwaya said.

Uneb’s executive secretary Dan Odongo reported on Friday that 571,252 candidates out of 646,190 who sat PLE last year passed. A total of 57,198 pupils were in Division One.
According to Mr Odongo, while candidates’ handwriting was legible, their performance in English language and Mathematics was poor as a result of their failure to apply knowledge in problem solving while others were unable to express themselves freely. Like in the past, he said their work presentation was largely based on recall.

Education minister Janet Museveni called upon teachers to rethink their method of teaching and ensure practical skills are imparted on the learners.
“The teaching appears to be theoretical and emphasises drilling of candidates. Teachers must refocus the methods of teaching to ensure that learners are able to apply knowledge to their real life surroundings,” Ms Museveni said at the release of the results on Friday.