Mock is here, are candidates prepared?

Since the start of Second Term about seven weeks ago, Gilbert Njiku, a Senior Four candidate at St. Joseph’s College, Ombachi in Arua wakes up at 4am to read. He uses this same revision time to summarise his notes for easy navigation. The reason? Mock examinations are around the corner and excellent performance is key.

“Our school has been hosting seminars so that we engage with other schools and get exposure to his various students approach questions. The teachers also provide us with question banks. We discuss these questions in our discussion groups and choose someone among us to present to class. If we fail some of the questions, we consult,” Njiku says.

In addition, the school has also installed solar power to enable students have constant light for revision.

For Daniel Apondi, a Primary Seven candidate at North Road Primary School in Mbale, support from his teachers and parents is encouraging. In addition, he ensures that he makes corrections as he is told and engages in group discussions.

“I also get different questions from newspapers such as Daily Monitor which I use with my colleagues in discussion groups. The teachers are also preparing us by giving us weekly tests, sometimes without prior warning which has forced me to read harder,” he says.

To, Marvin Ssegwaya, a Senior Six student at Lubiri Secondary School, mock exams are a wakeup call.
“When I was in Senior Four, I was a very playful student. In addition to that, my school Old Kampala S.S.S was purely a day school. We used to have assessment tests, which I took lightly, and before I knew it, it was mock time. When the results were back, I was in Fourth grade. My mother was disappointed, my teachers too,” Ssegwaya says regrettably.

But instead of giving up, he says the failure motivated him. “In Third Term I concentrated in class, read more, and by the time we started Uganda Certificate of Education, I was ready to take it on; I got 32 points,” he says.

Reduces anxiety
Bronney Samanya, the head teacher at Kijabijo Primary School, in Kiira notes that mocks are meant to help learners do more research, especially on questions and topics they find difficult. He adds that the exams can predict the likely result or performance of learners and so it motivates them.

“It makes a teacher adjust and plan further for the learners depending on the results but it also determines how effective the teaching process has been, so the teacher can adjust accordingly before the national exams come,” she says.

The atmosphere of fear and anxiety that the final paper creates can be enough to put students off, according to Samanya. Therefore, giving them a test of what the final exams might be give them confidence.

“After the mocks, I have seen my children put in an extra effort,” Francis Zziwa, a parent and retired teacher, says.

Lighting question
As part of the preparation process, constant revision (both during say and night preps) for both day scholars and those in boarding section is a major determining factor.

But the facts on the table are; we still experience power outages every now and again, and there are areas in the country that do not have electric power supply yet have schools. But students can beat these odds and have a hassle-free revision period. For instance, Njiku says, the school has installed solar power equipment to enable students have constant light for revision.