There has been a decline in the performance of Uganda Advance Certificate of Education as indicated by the results which were released on Wednesday.
According to Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) Executive Secretary Daniel Odongo, the failure rate increased from 1.3 per cent in 2106 to 1.5 per cent in 2017
He also revealed that 101296 candidates registered for 2017 EACE from 1918 centers compared to 104243 candidates from 20076 centers.
UNEB’s chairperson Prof. Mary Okwakol said the examinations were conducted very successfully and in accordance with the UNEB regulations.
It should be noted that when compared to 2016 UACE results, there are fewer candidates who have attained three principal level passes (34819 candidates, 34.7 per cent), increasing the failure rate from 1.3 per cent in 2016 to 1.5 per cent in 2017.
However, the minimum two principal passes required for university admission were 60941 candidates (60.7 per cent) qualify.
Female candidates performed better than their male counterparts at all levels. The failure rate among female candidates is also lower at 0.7 per cent than for the males at 1.5 per cent.
According to the UNEB chairperson, results for only 79 candidates from 24 centres were withheld in the 2017 UACE examinations.
“Following the challenges experienced the first set of examinations, the board took deliberate steps to increase the level of security at all storage facilities, “Prof. Okwakol said.
In the 2017 UCE exams, results for 4525 students were withheld by the examinations body but the number has reduced greatly in the senior six exams, which according to UNEB officials is a commendable job.
She said there have concerns of late that generated a heated debate on the decision by the examinations body to punish parents and students through withholding their exams.
Okwakol however, said that the criticisms will not deter the body from performing its mandate and responsibility as provided for by law.
She said that UNEB is responsible for safeguarding the quality of education in the country and among the ways they can perform this is through withholding results for candidates suspected to have engaged in exam malpractice.
“Allowing malpractice in examinations will eventually lead to low quality of the products of our education system to the disadvantage of the nation and the consequences are dire” she said.
Adding “We shall have incompetent teachers in charge of the education of our children; doctors whose patients die on operation tables, judicial officers who cannot dispense justice and engineers responsible for collapsing building among others.”
Prof. Okwakol emphasized that as a board; they can sit back and watch this go on. It should be noted that people including MPs recently accused UNEB of neglecting it’s duty of safeguarding the exams to avoid leakages but the body’s chairperson said the duty is for everyone to ensure security for exams.
The State Minister for Higher Education John Chrysestom Muyingo emphasized the need to improve on the registration and performance of science subjects.
He revealed that the reduction of the number of students registering for UACE does not mean that students are dropping out of school at UCE level.
“Some of our children opt for alternatives like technical and vocational training, nursing, primary teaching in order to get hands on skills,” he said.
He warned science teachers on the methodology of teaching theory as they harry to finish the syllabus before handling practical at last emphasizing that the two should be handled concurrently.
Muyingo also encouraged students not limit their choices on going for humanity courses at university but also try out technical and vocational institutions to acquire skills necessary for employment.
What the decline in performance means is that there will be fewer students joining universities around the country as compared to last year.
Taking an example of Makerere University, the cutoff points for some of the government sponsorship for last year were; Bachelor of Dental Surgery was 44.7, Bachelor of Architecture was 45.3, Bachelor of Business Administration was 47.6, Bachelor of Science in Business Statistics, Bachelor of Science in Population Studies was 47.4.
This means that given the poor performance at UACE this year much as the cut- of points are likely to go down there will be less students joining university.
Failure to join university will leave many with the option of either repeating or joining other institutions available.
