More than 500,000 students set to join senior one

EDUCATION 

KAMPALA - More than 500,000 candidates who sat last year's Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), are eligible to join secondary schools and BTVET institutions for further studies.

The students, expected to report to their respective schools and institutions on February 18, were placed in Universal Secondary Education (USE) aided secondary schools (280,036), USE BTVET institutions (4,380) and Non USE government aided secondary schools (28,440).

Speaking at a two-day selection exercise for senior one students in Kampala yesterday, Benson Kule, the Commissioner Secondary Education Standards said private schools in Uganda (1976) were expected to enroll 237,120 students, bringing the total intake to 549,976.

 
Kule said this year's intake is slightly lower than last year's (566,976), because Public Private Partnership (PPP) institutions were not included among the private schools in the selection exercise due to Government's policy of eroding the PPP system.

Kule said students whose results had been withheld by the Uganda National Examinations Board, pending investigation, would be progressively enrolled into the school choices they made.

"Please continue with the selection exercise in your schools using our guidelines and always seek guidance from the ministry," he told head teachers.

Avoid misconduct

The State Minister for Sports, Charles Bakkabulindi asked head teachers and other school leaders, to execute their responsibilities with due diligence to build cohesion and promote team work and quality education.

"As a head teacher, it is your personal responsibility, to inspire and be an example to your teachers," he noted.

He cautioned teachers against engaging in inappropriate conduct such as drunkenness, molesting students or tolerating deviant behaviour among students on school grounds, stressing that such behavious should be discouraged and condemned.

Bakkabulindi said the ministry will continue intensifying inspection in schools for better results.

"We want children enrolled into your schools, to leave having acquired the expected knowledge, skills values and right attitudes. It is important that our education system serves as propellers for the country's transformation," he noted.

The Commissioner Secondary Education for Government Schools, Sam Kuloba urged schools to renew their school boards, saying many continue to operate with boards of governors that have long expired, which is illegal.

School heads select senior one students at Uganda Management Association main hall in Nakawa on January 24, 2019.

 
He also warned schools against raising schools fees without authorisation from the school boards and the office of the Permanent Secretary as required.

Martin Okiria, the chairperson of Association of Secondary School head teachers in Uganda called upon government to address the salaries of head teachers and deputies.

"We wonder why we (head teachers and deputies) are paid as administrative cadres while our counterparts at the same levels of training and value are recognised as professionals. Paying teachers as administrative cadres means we are placed in lower scales,'' he said

Okiria also appealed to government to ensure that the transfer of teachers takes place in early January so as to ensure proper planning and smooth transitions.