Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Arua Municipal officials have decried the high failure and absentee rate among candidates in the 2019 Primary Leaving Examination negatively affected the overall results.
Out of the 2639 candidates registered with 1222 from South Sudan and DR Congo nationals, 2613 sat for the examination, while 26 failed to show up.
According to records, 413 candidates who sat failed totally after obtaining grade 4, U and X, while 545 obtained 3rd grade, 1,400 got 2nd grade and 279 obtained 1st grade.
Zilly Buza, the assistant inspector of schools Arua Municipality said absentees, early marriages especially among the girl child, negligence by parents to provide for their children and high level of indiscipline among learners greatly affected good performance during the 2019 PLE examinations.
According to Buza it was difficult to suppress the negative forces so as to achieve good results
But at Swalihini Primary school in River Oli division where results of 21 (D1s) were withheld in 2018 due to suspected malpractice, this time round the school registered no first grades.
According to Raymong Ombere the principal education officer Arua Municipality, there is need for the public to appreciate and play their roles in improving performance of pupils through provision of necessary requirements.
Arua Municipality has 62 primary schools of which 17 are government aided.
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