The Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) has released results for the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) for 2017, with districts in eastern Uganda performing poorly.
The results that were handed over to the Minister of State for Education John Chrysostom Muyingo at the Prime Minister’s Office in Kampala indicated that Bukwo, Butaleja, Kween, Kapchorwa, Bulambuli, Palisa, Sironko, Busia and Bududa districts were trailing in performance.
In her speech at the release of the O’Level results, UNEB chairperson Professor Mary J.N. Okwakol revealed that the board continues register an increase in the number of candidates annually, and that there is a noticed drop in the rate of increase from 3.2% in 2016 to only 0.9 % in 2017.
Prof. Okwakol also noted that gender parity has almost been achieved, with the ratio of girls to boys who sat the examination at 49.3 to 50.7%. However, the results indicate better overall performance by male candidates compared to their female counterparts.
“This is a slight improvement on the 49.1 to 50.9 ratio recorded in 2016 and it is encouraging to note that absenteeism among girls is steadily decreasing,” she observed.
According Prof. Okwakol, there was an improvement in performance of candidates compared to 2016, with the percentage of candidates passing in Division 1 nearly 10% up from 7.5 in 2016.
“There is also a reduction in failure rate from 13% in 2016 to 8.9 in 2017,” said the UNEB chairperson, adding: “However, a high percentage of candidates (41.8) are passing at the minimum division.
Meanwhile, Prof. Okwakol also revealed that as a result of criminal acts by persons entrusted with the management of examinations in the field, the board has been compelled to withhold results of 4,525 candidates from various examination centers.
She also explained that the full results of the schools whose PLE results were withheld will be published when investigations are concluded.
Some of the schools whose results were withheld are Hope Lives in Alebetong District, Buwooya in Iganga district, Bunaiga, Christ Aid and Rutooma ‘B’ all from Kabarole, Seeta Parents from Mukono District and Kisakye IFC from Buyende.
Speaking at the function UNEB Executive Secretary Dan Odongo, noted that 320119 candidates appeared for the examination in 2017, compared to 316,624 who sat in 2016.
There was a total of 357 special needs candidates registered for the 2017 UCE examination nearly the same as 2016.The examination center at Luzira registered 55 candidates and the results show that three passed in Division 1; ten obtained Division 2; thirteen in Division 3 and 26 obtained Division 4, while one failed and two were absent.
There was a decline in performance in English at distinction and credit level compared to 2016 and 2015.
Difficulties were reported in the use of correct grammar, spellings, tenses, punctuation and poor sentence construction while writing compositions.
Odongo further said that there was an improvement in in performance of Mathematics and sciences subjects compared to 2016.
About malpractice, the Executive Secretary revealed that 81 persons involved in examination malpractices were arrested by police.
“Forty nine suspects have appeared in court and are currently on court bail with their cases at various stages of hearing while 21 have jumped bail and criminal summons have been issued against them, and 11 suspects are due in court as their files are still with the DPP for sanctioning.”
The Minister for Education and Sports, First lady Janet Kataha Museveni welcomed the gap reduction in gender parity by stressed that ‘educating a girl is educating a nation’.
In a speech read for her the Minister in Charge of higher education JC Muyingo, she decried the increase in examination malpractice, the existence of unlicensed schools and those which do not meet the minimum standards.
She also wondered why some schools which were closed over the above mentioned irregularities were re- opened.
“It is not only I wrong but also illegal for the authorities to re – open certain schools like the Bridge Schools which had been close by the Ministry due to lack of minimum requirements and lack of licenses for some,” she said.
The Minister said government will support the study of mathematics and science subjects since they are instrumental in industrialization.
