A-Levels

By John Eremu THE 2001 Advanced Level examination results were released yesterday, indicating improved performance at four principal passes but the failure rate rose to 4.5% from last year’s 2.5%.Girls maintained their lead by producing the best student in arts but lost the science slot to a boy. Claire Amanya of Uganda Martyrs’ Secondary School, Namugongo emerged the best arts student overall with four As and a Distinction Two in General Paper (GP). She was followed by Ivan Muwonge of Namilyango College with four As but a credit three in GP.Namugongo also produced the best science student, Edward Twase, who had four As and a credit three in GP. Malara Mpuuga of King’s College Budo was ranked second with four As and a C3 in GP. Budo also produced the third-best student in Wakiso district. Thomas Kakule scored AAAB. Schools in central region performed better than those upcountry. Geoffrey Ochari of Ntinda View and Albert Mugisha of Kibuli emerged best arts and science students respectively in Kampala (see table of top performers on P4). The exams board secretary, Matthew Bukenya, said there were no examination leakages. However, the results of 76 candidates were cancelled over malpractices. The number is lower than last year’s 129 candidates.Bukenya said the centre numbers for Chwa II Memorial SS and Makerere Secondary School had been withdrawn for persistent cases of examination malpractices and for registering private candidates without the board’s authority.He said the schools named in malpractices this year, St. Thereza SS, Masaka, St. Leo’s College Kyegobe, Mbale Modern, Central College Kawempe, Ngabo Academy Mbarara and Royal College Bunga, had received serious warning and would have their centre numbers cancelled should they engage in fraud again.However, education minister Dr. Kiddu Makubuya disagreed with Bukenya, saying there was no reason to give thieving schools a second chance to cheat. “These schools must be required to show cause why their centre numbers should not be withdrawn immediately. Why should we allow them to register candidates this year? Others would think that, yes you can cheat and still get another chance,” Makubuya said.State minister for higher education Betty Aketch, permanent secretary Francis Lubanga, under-secretary Pius Bigirimana, Education Standards Agency chief Dr. Rose Nassali and UNEB chairman Prof. Lutalo Bossa attended the ceremony at the ministry offices in Kampala.Bukenya said the number of candidates who registered for the examinations went up by 12.3% from 40,533 in 2000 to 45,500 last year. He said the performance improved with 25,533 (56.7%) of the candidates passing (obtaining two principals) up from 21,924 (56.2%) the previous year. The candidates showed improved performance in Chemistry but a significant decline in History, Economics, Religious Christian Education and Mathematics. Entries to arts subjects continued to rise up to 56.3% of the candidates, the entry for sciences remained low at 11.7%, a trend described by the officials as worrying.Examiners said the candidates showed poor communication and lack of higher order thinking expected of people at their level.“Performance in science papers reveals deficiency in mastery of the science process skills of observation and making logical deduction.”More reports on P3, 6,7