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Boys beat girls in national Islamic exams
Dr Hassan Kiyingi (right), the executive secretary of UNECIT, hands over the 2023 Islamic examinations results to the exam body chairperson, Dr Hafithu Walusimbi, at the Islamic University in Uganda Kampala campus yesterday. Photo | Shabibah Nakirigya
What you need to know:
- According to the Uganda National Examination Committee for Idaad (Senior Four) and Thanawi (Senior Six) (UNECIT), more boys were in Division One compared to girls
Boys performed better than girls in the 2023 national Islamic examinations that were released yesterday.
According to the Uganda National Examination Committee for Idaad (Senior Four) and Thanawi (Senior Six) (UNECIT), more boys were in Division One compared to girls.
“In the 13th edition of the 2023 results released, in Idaad, 189 boys were in first grade while girls were 110; in Thanawi, boys were 47 while girls were 13,,” Dr Hassan Kiyingi, the executive secretary of UNECIT, said during the release of the exams at Islamic University In Uganda (IUIU) Kampala Campus yesterday.
He said more schools joined UNECIT, from 23 of 2022 to 32 in 2023, leading to a rise in the number of candidates who sat the exams from 461 in to 748 last year.
Dr Kiyingi added that the best-performed subjects at both Idaad and Thanawi levels were Tilawah (Quran recitation ) and Tawheed (theology), while Hadith and Grammar in Arabic were the worst done.
“We have embarked on improving the worst done examinations because even in 2022 it was the same worst done subject of Hadith and Grammar, both of which are very important at higher levels of learning and teaching,” he said.
He added that at the Idaad level, the best-performing schools were Buziga Islamic Theological Institute, Kawempe Muslim Secondary School and Emirates High School, Nkoowe. At the Thanawi level, Buziga Islamic Theological Institute, Masaka Islamic Centre and Kampala Islamic Secondary School were the best performers.
Dr Kiyingi revealed that more schools are coming on board to start a duo curriculum, which has helped students compete on the international market.
The chairperson of UNECIT, Dr Hafithu Walusimbi, said currently, it is very difficult for Muslims to compete internationally with the single curriculum.
He added that last year, they announced a review process of the Islamic curriculum for secondary schools to cope with the current demands.
“Currently we are done with the first phase of consultation and draft; very soon, it will be taken to the National Curriculum for Development Centre (NCDC) for review,” he said.
Dr Walusimbi also urged schools to look for the revised curriculum of the Islamic syllabus, saying the old one is outdated and no longer applicable.
‘Since the Ministry of Education and Sports is pushing for vocational skills in all learning institutions, we want to include more subjects in language and technical skills,” he said.
