By Conan Businge & Vivian Agaba

Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) Wednesday released business and technical examinations for 2011.

The results were handed over to the education minister Jessica Alupo by UNEB's secretary Matthew Bukenya.

They showed that average half of the students in business and technical education are still failing national examinations.

58.9% passed technical examinations (Craft level), 35.9% passed Community Polytechnics certificate examinations (CPCE) and only 60.6% passed Uganda Junior Technical education certificate (UJTC) examinations.

Overall, of all candidates who sat for business and technical examinations in all institution in Uganda, only 51.8% candidates passed.

Under Uganda technical Education, 12,271 candidates sat for the examination. The best done subjects under this category with a higher number of candidates scoring distinctions include electrical installation I, Motor Vehicle Technician Part I, and Plumbing in East African Countries Craft Part II.

Under the CPCE category, there were 430 candidates, and only 124 candidates passed. The performance under this category was poor and below average, according to the national examination boss Bukenya. He attributed the poor performance to the students' inability to express themselves in English.