The best performing candidates who got Division One in the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) results, which was released yesterday, emerged from Bushenyi District, in western Uganda.The district topped PLE performance at 56 percent after 912 candidates scored Division One, PLE district performance ranking statistics reveal.Behind Bushenyi District in performance was Kisoro at (51 percent), Ntungamo (49 percent), Kabale (47 percent) and Rukungiri (44 percent).At the 13th best overall position was Kampala District representing 34 percent of those in Division One.
Some of the academic staff working at the schools in the top districts told this publication that they were able to perform well because of continuous guidance and mentorship directed towards learners and having top-notch teachers.Kapchorwa District in the eastern part of the country was the worst after trailing in the 177th position (zero percent in Division One).Other districts that performed poorly in the exams include Madi-Okollo (also at zero percent), Obongi, Arua, Kitgum, Lamwo, Bukwo, Amudat, Terego, Kalaki, and Kaabong, which all got one percent of candidates in Division One.Ms Janet Kataha Museveni, the First Lady and minister of Education and Sports, in her speech said there was need to investigate the cause of teacher absenteeism, which she said is one of the causes of poor performances in schools.
“It does a great disservice to the nation, families and in particular the children who make the effort to invest resources, time and their energies to attend school for seven years,” Ms Museveni said, adding, “For these young people to miss out on sitting their examinations and the opportunity to move to the next level of their education, is very unfortunate, painful and cumulatively a loss to all of us.”Ms Museveni appealed to parents and guardians to work together with school administrations to ensure that no child loses the opportunity to attain a bright future by missing out on classes, dropping out of school or being absent during the examination period.
Mr Aggrey Kimera, the head teacher of Kings Way Primary School in Wakiso District, told Monitor that the problem of last year’s poor performance in schools partly emerged from operational expenses, which obstruct the intentions that administrators have for their learners.“There were high taxes from the government where we had and continue to pay for things like operational licences, food costs, among other items,” Mr Kimera told Monitor before adding, “Besides that, the cost of maintaining quality staff also breaks us.
