Relax A-Level entry grades for sciences – says Janet

The Minister of Education and Sports, Ms Janet Museveni, yesterday told schools to relax the requirements for students who wish to study science subjects at A-Level as one way of increasing the number of students taking sciences.

This followed the Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) officials’ revelation that only 10 per cent of the total number of candidates who sat the 2019 Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) examinations, studied science subjects.

The Uneb executive secretary, Mr Daniel Odongo, while releasing the 2019 UACE exam results at the Office of the President in Kampala yesterday, said whereas Mathematics, Physics and Biology are compulsory subjects at Ordinary Level, the number of students who take up the above science subject combinations at A-Level is very low.

Mr Odongo said in 2019, only 30.7 per cent of A-Level candidates studied Mathematics, 16 per cent studied Chemistry, 24 per cent had Biology, while 10 per cent had Physics. A total of 103,429 appeared for exams last year.

“The number of enrolment of students in sciences is alarming and the government must come up with strategies that would attract more students into these programmes,” Mr Odongo said.

Ms Museveni said in 2016, she learnt that the low numbers of students taking sciences at A-Level could partly be attributed to the stringent selection criteria by schools which admit only students with Distinction scores from O-Level.

“I am concerned about the very low transition from UCE to UACE in the sciences. I am even more concerned about the very low number of girls in the sciences.

Regrettably, this is happening despite the fact that government, through the Ministry of Education, has invested heavily in provision of teaching and learning materials and laboratories,” Ms Museveni lamented as she released the results.

“I appeal to schools to relax this unrealistic demand because a person with a Credit 3 or 4 at UCE should be able to comfortably study a science subject at A-Level. Mathematics and sciences are at the heart of industrial development, which is crucial for taking our country to modernity,” Ms Museveni urged.

At the same function, Ms Museveni explained the low number of female candidates who sat UACE examinations last year. Out of 103,429 candidates, only 43,625 were female.

Ms Museveni said much as the number of female students at Primary Leaving Examinations and UCE levels had increased compared to that of the boys, the number is quite low at UACE.

She, however, observed that it’s because girls have taken advantage of other available opportunities that allow them join other institutions after PLE and UCE.

“Given the alternative opportunities available to the girls after UCE, it is my firm belief that the gap does not represent dropout of girls. The numbers in nursing and midwifery training institutions; and in primary teachers colleges and other vocational institutions attest to the fact that the girls who did not go for UACE studies indeed took those other career paths,” Ms Museveni said.

She said 11,742 girls in this cohort are completing certificate courses in Nursing and Midwifery.

Students loan Scheme

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Higher Education, Mr John Chrysostom Muyingo, has appealed to students who face financial challenges to utilise the students’ loan scheme to enable them continue with their studies.

Mr Muyingo noted that many students miss out on different application phases because they apply late.
He added that some are not honest with the information they give out and are thus left out.

“Others don’t give the required materials or information about themselves. I would like to tell students who are financially challenged that the government is there for you. Just do it in time and provide correct information,” Mr Muyingo said.

The current number of students benefitting from the student loans scheme for the academic year 2019/20 was put at 1,868.

The list of the beneficiaries was released by Mr Muyingo last September.
Mr Muyingo also asked those who have passed to use this vacation and study the skills required in the labour market.

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