Encourage more girls to study science subjects
Emmanuel Angoda
Senior Six students are finally home, after completing their Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) exams. Data from Uneb indicates that 98,393 candidates were registered for the 2020 UACE exams. Out of these, girls were 41,129, which constituted only 41.8 per cent.
Considering the fact that at primary level, the number of girls registering and sitting for PLE is more than boys means that there is a high drop-out rate among the girls. As things stand currently, in our education, the higher you go, the smaller the number of girls.
Apart from the small of girls in higher levels of education, especially A-Level and university, there is also the issue of small number of girls studying STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) courses. In A-Level today, few girls are studying science subject combinations. Consequently, only a few girls are admitted to STEM courses at university.
Looking at the private admission data of 2020/2021 academic year in public universities, we find that most of the girls are admitted to study Art/Humanities courses. For example, in Gulu University, in Bachelor of Arts Education (weekend), a total of 192 applicants were admitted, 121 female, and only 71 male. This means that girls constitute a majority 63 per cent, while male applicants make up only 37 per cent.
Meanwhile at the same university, female applicants admitted for Bachelor of Science in Computer Science was only 24 per cent female, Bachelor of Science in Agriculture was 34 per cent, and Bachelor of Science Education (Biological) was 23 per cent.
At Lira University, the private admission list is the same, with more girls in arts programmes and more boys in science programmes. The number of girls admitted was higher in BSc. in Accounting & Finance (61 per cent), BSc. in Community Psychology and Psychotherapy (65 per cent), BSc. in Midwifery was 62 per cent. However, in BSc. in Computer Science was 14 per cent, and Bachelor of Science with Education was 33 per cent.
I believe that we can change the status quo and support more girls to pursue STEM programmes. Effective interventions by schools, teachers, parents, and community members can reverse this trend. Interventions such as mentorship, career guidance, and university application support can provide tangible outcomes.
Lira Town College has placed a lot of emphasis to support students during the university application process. The school provides free newspaper pull-outs, internet, career advising and computers for use by these university applicants.
This has significantly increased number of students getting admitted to university for STEM courses, including girls.
For a long time, there were only three pathways to the degree programme. Direct entry using A-Level results, diploma entry, and through adult entry. However, there is now one more pathway, which I believe will support more girls to pursue STEM courses.
The Highers Education Access Certificate (HEAC) caters for those who have scored only subsidiary passes in principal subjects (excluding General Paper and Subsidiary ICT/Subsidiary Mathematics).
This option is very timely, because many students who obtained only subsidiary passes at UACE were left with no option, except to repeat or use their UCE results to pursue a certificate course. However, that has changed.
With the introduction of Higher Education Access Certificate (HEAC), most students can now progress to university. The HEAC allows for forward academic progression, even for those who scored less desirable results at UACE.
I must emphasise here that parents, teachers, and students should embrace HEAC, especially for girls who pursue science combinations. This one-year specialised foundation course is much better than repeating A-Level, and saves parents a lot of money, and enables more girls gain admission to STEM courses.
The HEAC programme is now available in both public and private universities. As a teacher, I believe that schools and teachers should support students to progress with their education.
We should not only prepare students to pass exams, but also prepare them for the next level of education, and the reality of life after school.
Mr Emmanuel Angoda is a teacher at Lira Town College.
