New districts trail in UCE

Kampala, Uganda  | THE INDEPENDENT |  New districts carved out of the top-performing districts have trailed in the just-released Uganda Certificate of Education-UCE results.

A deeper look at the figures released by Uganda National Examinations Board-UNEB on today shows that districts created 2010, and those that started operations from 2016, are struggling to post good grades with most them having less than 5% of their candidates in first grade.

Packwach, Buhweju, Butebo, Namisindwa, Omoro, Butebo posted the worst performances, data shows.

Omoro district, formerly part of Gulu district, with 451 students sitting UCE last year, trailed everyone else with just 5 students in first grade – one of them being female. The district became operational in 2016.

Butebo which was carved out of Pallisa district and became operational in 2017 has just 6 students passing in first grade out of the 506 candidates that sat.

Buhweju which was carved out of Greater Bushenyi in 2010 could only manage 9 students in first grade with no female candidate. Some 596 students sat.

Namisindwa, which started operations in 2017 and was curved out Manafwa in eastern Uganda, managed to get just 12 students in first grade out of the 889 that sat for the exams.

Yet if there is a story that the newer districts tell, it is the story of that they are struggling to get on and be able to offer basic services like quality education independently.

Previous reporting has shown that most of these districts have failed to hire staff and fill up key positions that would enable do effective monitoring for services offered.  

Others have no facilities like classroom blocks, libraries, and science laboratories – ideally what a student needs to pass.

Many are struggling to collect revenues and the funding from the central government is dismal. 

For some new districts, teachers refused to move there, choosing stay in the mother districts. 

Buhweju has been a district for the last ten years but still struggles to offer basic services.

There are, however, those that performed better.  Sheema district which was split from Bushenyi got 408 students in first grade although one would argue that it is because it sat a huge number at 4,292 candidates.

Rubirizi district, also from Bushenyi, had 9.6% of its candidates in grade one.

On the other hand, traditional districts maintained top performances.  Kampala, Masaka, Bushenyi, Mbarara, Wakiso, and Mukono posted more students in first grade – all having more than 12% of their students in grade one.

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