Why KCCA schools post poor PLE grades

Kampala: Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) leaders are worried of the continued decline in performance of primary schools in the city as reflected in the just released Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) results.

During a heated Council meeting early this week, Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago expressed disappointment about the 2017 PLE results for the government-aided schools in the city. He lamented that majority of them have declined in performance in the last couple of years.
Mr Lukwago argued that although schools such as Nakasero and Buganda Road used to be among the giants in the country in academics, their performance has drastically dropped.

Talking statistically, the Lord Mayor revealed that out of the 314 candidates who sat for their PLE from Buganda Road Primary School, only 99 (32 per cent) candidates passed in Division One, while only 96 (31 per cent) candidates out of 300 passed in Division One at Nakasero Primary School. He also said none of the candidates in KCCA schools scored Aggregate 4.
Mr Lukwago said KCCA can’t pride themselves in the performance of Kampala, which was ranked among the best districts yet “our own schools are performing below standards.”

Subsequently, the Lord Mayor tasked the technical wing of KCCA to ensure all government-aided schools in the city get basic requirements that would enable them perform better.
City government-aided schools are different from all other public schools across the country because they have a special treatment, with their teachers getting extra allowances.
But they are majorly attended by children from humble families, whose parents can’t afford private schools that ask for hefty fees.
In the wake of this persistent poor performance by government-aided city schools, KCCA committee on education is compiling a comprehensive report about the status and performance of all government-aided schools under its jurisdiction.
According to the 2017 PLE results, Kampala was ranked the best district. However, all best candidates were from privately owned schools.

Ms Juliet Namuddu Nambi, the KCCA director of education and social services, acknowledged the fact that the performance of city government-aided schools is still wanting, but she noted that according to the recent results, there was some improvement for which city leaders must give credit.
She said: “We are faced with a challenge of low funding and this has had a negative effect on the performance of our schools.”
For instance, Ms Namuddu noted that many children in city government-aided schools go without any meal at school and that this affects their concentration in class, leading to poor performance.
To improve performance of city schools, Ms Namuddu revealed that KCCA is currently partnering with different organisations to lobby for schools, some of which, she said, lack basic requirements because of inadequate funding.

According to a report, compiled by Ms Namuddu, about the status of city government schools dated July 5 2017, the number of pupils benefiting from the Universal Primary Education (UPE) is 67,000.
However, the report states that the picture in Kampala City is not any different from the up-country schools because indicators such as pupil to teacher ratio, classroom to pupil ratio and text books to pupil ratio, show the situation is still alarming.

According to the report, the current average pupil to teacher ratio in city government-aided schools stands at about 49:1.
“Whereas this is high compared to an ideal ratio of below 40:1, it’s still relatively better in comparison to the national average of 53:1. Consequently, efforts to recruit more teachers to improve the pupil to teacher ratio haven’t been successful and this has negatively impacted on the quality of teaching and learning in the government-aided schools under KCCA,” the report reads, in part.
Currently, according to the same report, the classroom ratio in government-aided city schools is at 90:1, which represents a significant congestion in primary schools.
Also, the pupil to textbook ratio stands at 3:1 in the city government-aided schools compared to the envisaged ratio of 1:1.
Government currently allocates Shs500m annually as school Facility Grant meant for classroom and sanitation improvement. However, KCCA officials say with the existing classrooms dilapidated, this money is not enough.

This newspaper has further learnt that the current average expenditure on each child per annum is Shs10,000, which KCCA officials say is inadequate.
The annual remittance to UPE schools in capitation grants from KCCA stands at Shs687m.
Some head teachers in KCCA schools, who spoke to this newspaper on condition of anonymity, revealed that they are overwhelmed by the number of pupils yet there are not enough teachers to teach them.

“Since Kampala is the heart of the country, we would expect that at least government prioritises funding govern schools to boost education standards. However, we are always isolated and when PLE results come, officials start complaining about the decline in performance. There is no way the performance can improve if there are no resources,” said one of the head teachers.
Last month, this newspaper reported that at least 57 city government-aided schools are facing eviction because they are currently sitting on land which doesn’t belong to them. This problem, school head teachers said, must be addressed once and for all before evictions start.

VIEWS
“Why are our schools performing poorly in the national examinations yet some of these schools used to be the giants in the country, where is the problem, exactly?”
Erias Lukwago, Kampala Lord Mayor

“We are faced with a challenge of low funding and this has had a negative effect on the performance of our schools,”
Juliet Namuddu Nambi, KCCA director of education and social services

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