Cutoff points to rise as S.5 selections start

Schools are likely to increase their cutoff points for admission to Senior Five when selections start today.
Head teachers who spoke to this newspaper said the improved performance in last year’s Uganda Certificate of Education exams could lead to raising of cutoff points.
Sr Gladys Kachope, the head teacher of Immaculate Heart Girls Secondary School in Rukungiri District, yesterday said her cutoffs could improve from Aggregate 20 since majority of her Senior Four students performed well.

“They are going to be better than last year. Our students excelled and almost all gave us their first choice,” Sr Kachope said in an interview.
She asked the parents not to despise any school that selects their children.
“It doesn’t matter whether you are deep in the village. You can make it anywhere. You only have to be determined and change your attitude,” she said.
The director of studies at Mityana SS, Mr Silver Nsumba, said he was not sure whether their cutoff points will improve from those of last year but added that their students performed better.

Releasing the results two weeks ago, Mr Dan Odongo, Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) executive secretary said last year’s candidates had posted better results than the previous year.
However, poor performance was reported in science subjects such as Physics and Chemistry where nearly half of the students did not obtain Pass 8.

Expected number
Mr Benson Kule, the chairperson in-charge of selections, said they are expecting more than 2,000 heads of secondary schools, primary teachers’ colleges and technical institutes for the exercise.
She asked parents, whose children will not be admitted during this period, to appeal to the ministry through the guidance and counselling department and they will be placed.

The commissioner for business and technical education, Dr Safinah Museene, yesterday said they are working on a framework that will assist government in determining the career progression of students who will not have gone through the formal academic ladder.
For instance, she said, students who opt for business, technical and vocational training should not worry as they can now equate their academic papers with those of UCE and UACE.
Dr Museene explained that a primary school leaver who joins polytechnics will train for three years and the certificate they get will be an equivalent to that of Senior Four.

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