Govt, experts speak out on fate of 80,000 PLE failures

A total of 88,269 pupils failed last year’s Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE). Government officials and experts, however, say the candidates should not be ignored as they could become a menace in society.

Mr Dennis Mugimba, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Education and Sports, in an interview on Friday, said parents should ensure that such children are enrolled in public schools so that they are given a second chance.

“As the minister said in her statement, we still want to give them a window of hope.  Those who want to repeat, can go back and do so in public schools because we believe there is a future for them through education. Further education opportunities beyond Primary Seven require to have good grades,” Mr Mugimba explained.

“After all they are still young. It is not that their future has ended,” he stated.
 
While officiating at the release of 2023 PLE results at Nakasero State House on Thursday, the Education minister, who doubles as First Lady,  Ms Janet Museveni, said she had instructed the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ms Ketty Lamaro, to ensure that those that failed are allowed to repeat.
 
Mr Mugimba said the ministry would also undertake an analysis to establish factors responsible for the poor performance.

“We want to understand some of the causes. Surely, most of these causes can be addressed. We need to understand why somebody can study for seven years and fail to pass,’’ he said.

He urged parents not to give up on their children, saying national examinations do not reflect the learners’ potential.

“... there is much more to the child. I encourage parents to give them another opportunity. You can be surprised that more than half of those children will get good grades when they repeat,” Mr Mugimba observed.

Mr Yusuf Muziransa, the spokesperson of the Equal Opportunities Commission, said learners should be given a second chance so that their future is not ruined.

“Sometimes, students fail because of different reasons. Maybe they didn’t conceptualise the questions well. You may find that some had issues at home and couldn’t concentrate on their studies. We have to give them a second chance because I think most of them can pass,” Mr Muziransa said.
 
Mr Fagil Mandy, a senior educationist and former chairperson of Uneb Board, advised the learners to join vocational training institutions.

“A lot of children should be joining technical institutions after Primary Seven because it is practical and it is a skill. All learners need skills no matter the level of education. If you finish university and you lack a skill or have no service to offer, it is very hard for you to survive, ”Mr Mandy said.
 
Ms Angella Kasule Nabwowe, the executive director of Initiative for Social and Economic Rights, said the root cause of poor performance should be tackled at both school and community levels.

Ms Nabwowe attributed failures to lack of adequate school infrastructure, teacher absenteeism, poor inspection of schools, poverty and lack of feeding programmes.

“Those children are not stupid. But because of the conditions under which they are learning, they get such results. Some of them spend three-quarters of their time doing hard labour because they have to supplement the family income. Others stay in rice plantations scaring away birds because they want to earn something,” she said. 

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