One candidate to sit PLE in Hoima school

A government-aided school in Hoima City with a total enrollment of 180 learners has only one candidate who will sit for the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) next Wednesday and Thursday. 

Initially, there were four pupils in Primary Seven in the First Term. However, during the course of the year, three left the school, leaving only Kenneth Wembabazi.

The school head, Mr Joseph Bahemuka, expressed concerns about the unexpected departures.“When I took over my post at the beginning of this year, I found Budaka Primary School had four pupils in Primary Seven but three others left the school,” he said.

Mr Bahemuka emphasised the critical importance of having at least one registered candidate for PLE. He noted that the school holds a Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) centre number, and if they fail to register a candidate in a given year, they risk losing the centre number, which would be detrimental to pupils in lower classes.

“To obtain a Uneb centre number, the school is mandated to have a minimum of 15 candidates. If the school falls below this threshold, the centre number is revoked, and reinstating it is a challenging process. To retain our centre number, I took the initiative to approach neighbouring schools, who generously provided me with 44 of their candidates. I subsequently registered them under my school’s centre number, with only one candidate originating from my school,” he said.

He said Wembabazi has been studying independently or, at times, with Primary Six pupils. “Our candidate, Wembabazi, along with the 44 other candidates registered at our school, will be sitting their PLE at the nearby Kalongo Primary School. This decision is due to the fact that our school, despite having a Uneb centre number, lacks a main hall suitable for accommodating candidates during exams. This arrangement is typically overseen by the school inspector,” Mr Bahemuka said.

The school has a total of six teachers on the government pay-roll and one private teacher who is paid by parents. Mr Bahemuka said the school needs an additional two teachers because each teacher is tasked with the responsibility of teaching all subjects within their assigned class, leaving one class without a teacher.

Wembabazi said he has faced the challenge of studying alone but said he is resolute in his goal to succeed in the upcoming exams.

Teachers attribute the persistent decline in the number of learners at the school to early marriage and stiff competition from private schools in neighbouring communities that actively entice the brightest pupils when they reach the upper classes.

Ms Asaba Kasagaki, a concerned parent, said some parents are marrying off their children as young as 14 to 17 years of age – precisely the years when pupils should be in school pursuing their education. 

Local leaders said the school’s consistent poor performance over the last decade, has prompted parents to seek alternative educational options for their children as they reach the upper classes.

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