UPE dropout figures were concocted!
Oct 30, 2006
SIR — On October 27, The New Vision published an article entitled “Dropout rate at 80%â€.
SIR — On October 27, The New Vision published an article entitled “Dropout rate at 80%â€.
This data was from the Education management System which unfortunately got its records from the districts across the country.
The picture of Namirembe Bitamazire, the Minister of Education was published with the article and it saddened me.
Ugandans have again been cheated either by the district officials, some elements in the ministry or both. the figures are statistically available but the reality on the ground is strategically avoided for dubious if not malicious reasons. Running to UNEB as a statistical data source is only credible for its candidates' enrolment.
The ‘enrolment’ at school level whose figures are supplied and monitored by the districts does not have anything in common with the UNEB figures! The latter are credibly authentic but the former are dogged by enjaulo (kick-back).
The truth for any one who bothers to know is that the dropout percentage rates here are far from the reality and the magnitude assumed.
I once had the misfortune of helping UNEB carry out a National Assessment of Primary Education research in 2003. UNEB got enrolment data for the sample schools from the Ministry of Education. It was disastrous! I got a rude shock.
We went down to the sample schools armed with these records but the enrolment on the ground for the P3 and P6 classes remained deficient in numbers — in most cases in hundreds of pupils!
The headteachers came up with all sorts of excuses, obviously fake ones.
Since our research was on intellectual numeracy and literacy, we only occasionally became concerned whenever the deficiency fell short of our research sample numbers and purpose. Now, where the 80% dropout rate has been dug up from is anybody’s guess. Who actually is fooling who?
By the time this figure becomes true, there will be no pupils in these schools!
Name withheld
This data was from the Education management System which unfortunately got its records from the districts across the country.
The picture of Namirembe Bitamazire, the Minister of Education was published with the article and it saddened me.
Ugandans have again been cheated either by the district officials, some elements in the ministry or both. the figures are statistically available but the reality on the ground is strategically avoided for dubious if not malicious reasons. Running to UNEB as a statistical data source is only credible for its candidates' enrolment.
The ‘enrolment’ at school level whose figures are supplied and monitored by the districts does not have anything in common with the UNEB figures! The latter are credibly authentic but the former are dogged by enjaulo (kick-back).
The truth for any one who bothers to know is that the dropout percentage rates here are far from the reality and the magnitude assumed.
I once had the misfortune of helping UNEB carry out a National Assessment of Primary Education research in 2003. UNEB got enrolment data for the sample schools from the Ministry of Education. It was disastrous! I got a rude shock.
We went down to the sample schools armed with these records but the enrolment on the ground for the P3 and P6 classes remained deficient in numbers — in most cases in hundreds of pupils!
The headteachers came up with all sorts of excuses, obviously fake ones.
Since our research was on intellectual numeracy and literacy, we only occasionally became concerned whenever the deficiency fell short of our research sample numbers and purpose. Now, where the 80% dropout rate has been dug up from is anybody’s guess. Who actually is fooling who?
By the time this figure becomes true, there will be no pupils in these schools!
Name withheld