Government should move to fix UPE
Facility. Girls of St Edward Gobero Primary School walk out of a classroom. Lack of infrastructure is one of the challenges UPE Schools still face. PHOTO BY PATIENCE AHIMBISIBWE
What you need to know:
- The issue: UPE.
- Our view: The education system had prior to the arrival of UPE been driven to tap the best and most talented.
- The system has unfortunately been replaced by one that puts children from the rural setting at a very big disadvantage. This needs to change.
The Uganda National Examinations Board’s (Uneb) results release on Friday of Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) revealed that schools under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) had performed so badly.
Whereas 55,737 (23.9 per cent) of 236,720 (31.6 per cent) of candidates in non UPE schools passed in Division 1, only 26,127 (5.2 per cent) out of the 513,085 (68.4 per cent) pupils who sat for PLE in UPE schools passed in Division 1.
Whereas 64,487 (12 per cent) of the candidates in UPE schools failed, only 10,391 (4.5 per cent) of candidates in non UPE schools failed.
This is sadly not new. Uneb’s executive secretary, Mr Dan Odongo, pointed out that much. “The [PLE] results are similar to what we have seen before.” It should, however, not be business as usual.
Whereas Mr Odongo blames the bad performance of UPE schools on parents, we all know that the blame lies squarely with government.
The education system had prior to the arrival of UPE been driven to tap the best and most talented. That explains why children from the rural areas could find their way to elite schools such as St Mary’s College Kisubi, Busoga College Mwiri, Kings College Budo, Mt St Mary’s Namagunga and Gayaza High School, among others.
The system has unfortunately been replaced by one that puts children from the rural setting at a very big disadvantage. This needs to change.
But for that to happen government needs to fix problems around funding and the quality of education provided in those schools.
Capitation grants to schools is as low as Shs5,500 per pupil per term and it never gets to the schools in time. Shs5,500 for 90 days, really? That hampers operations.
UPE schools are at the same time plagued by lack of learning aids and instructional materials. A report, Are Our Children Learning? Literacy and Numeracy Across East Africa compiled by UWEZO, a citizen driven initiative to improve numeracy and literacy among school age going children in East Africa, which was compiled from the 2013 annual learning assessment ranked schools in Uganda at the lowest rung of performance in numeracy and literacy with only 36 per cent of children aged 10 to 16 passing a numeracy and literacy tests.
The report at the same time placed the best ranked Ugandan district at number 82 in the region. Seven of the worst performing districts were also in Uganda. This calls for drastic action. It calls for action now.
