List only the 10 top schools

Mar 13, 2011

EDITOR: Every year, in Uganda, when examination results are released, the best performing schools are listed in the newspapers, district by district.

EDITOR: Every year, in Uganda, when examination results are released, the best performing schools are listed in the newspapers, district by district.

Some of the star students are interviewed and their pictures published.

I feel this trend is insensitive to the students who failed because sometimes bright students fail due to reasons beyond their control. It is not fair to glorify only the best performers because it will make the rest feel like failures.

Besides, there is no guarantee that if one excelled at school one will necessarily be successful in life. So-called dense students might surprise everyone and end up being more successful than the bright ones.

Newspapers have even started interviewing star teachers now! Isn’t this getting out of hand? I suspect this trend has fuelled the already stiff competition between schools.

Excessive competition is destructive because an overly ambitious individual, or institution, can do anything to succeed. Consequently, stories of rampant cheating have become common.

It is no wonder then that UNEB has begun withholding results because they have to investigate allegations of examination malpractice.

Once upon a time only the top ten schools in Uganda were listed in the newspapers—why can’t we go back to that?

Josepha Jabo
Kampala

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