Traditional giants outpaced by new entrants in performance

London College of St Lawrence’s students celebrate excelling in last year’s UCE. The school had all its 55 students in Division One, making it the only school with 100 per cent performance in the country. PHOTO BY FAISWAL KASIRYE

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As upcountry schools rise to the top, analysis shows traditionally well-performing schools have stagnated

Kampala- London College of St. Lawrence made an announcement of its entry among the top performing schools when it toppled traditional academic giants, with 100 per cent first grade.

However, the top notch schools such as Uganda Martyrs SS Namugongo, Mt St Mary’s Namagunga and Gayaza High School maintained their star performance, posting superb results with more than 90 per cent pass in Division One.

They were followed closely by St Mary’s Kitende, St Mary’s College Kisubi, Seeta High School, Mukono, plus Merryland High School, Entebbe, and Brilliant High School, Kawempe, which are relatively new entrants.
In upcountry districts, Immaculate Heart School (Rukungiri), St Joseph SS Naggalama (Mukono), St Joseph’s Vocational School (Mbarara) and St Paul’s Seminary (Kabale) made an imposing presence.

Traditional powerhouses Ntare School, Kings College Budo, Nabisunsa Girls, Trinity College Nabbingo, Ndejje SS, Iganga SS and Namilyango College performed well but were edged out of their usual top 10 slots. Makerere College, Lubiri SS and Maryhill High School dropped from their usual slots.

There are schools that show a continuous improvement in their performance. These include; Nalya SS Namugongo, St Mary’s College Lugazi, St Mary’s Girls College Aboke, Bweranyangi Girls SS, Bushenyi, Kawempe Muslim School and Kiira College Butiki.

Uneb said there was a drop in national performance in the 2013 UCE exams compared to that of 2012. The percentage of candidates who passed in Division One declined from 7.2 percent in 2012 to 7 per cent (2,0001candidates) last year.

Like it has been over the years, schools in Wakiso District dominated the list with six schools, followed by Mukono (two ) while Masaka and Rukingiri had one each .
Analysis shows that private schools performed better than public schools, including those not under the free education programme.