Excess students in USE schools
Mar 19, 2008
Officials of the education ministry were yesterday overwhelmed by the big number of students who were admitted for the Universal Secondary Education (USE) this year.
By Josephine Maseruka and Flavia Nakagwa
Officials of the education ministry were yesterday overwhelmed by the big number of students who were admitted for the Universal Secondary Education (USE) this year.
Yusuf Nsubuga, the commissioner in charge of secondary education, said most USE schools had admitted more students than they could handle.
Nsubuga was yesterday inspecting various USE schools during the one-day national head count of s1 and S2 students.
Also counted were year one and two students under the Universal Post Primary, Technical and Vocational Education Training programme.
At Kitebi SSS on Masaka road, Nsubuga streams had more than 100 students each.
The headmistress, Florence Tinkamanya, said the school had capacity for 240 students but 284 were registered. Nsubuga promised that the ministry would build rooms for the extra students.
In Kololo SSS in Kampala, the S1 class had 473 students. The head teacher, Margaret Watuwa, said s1 had five streams, the biggest stream with 100 students.
For Luzira SSS, the big intake compelled it to use the double-shift system.
The deputy headmaster, James Kyewusa, said they admitted 565 students in S1 and S2, with each class having five streams instead of the two before.
The ministry gave the school sh70m to build four classrooms and toilets.
In Hoima district, head teachers complained that politicians were against the double-shift system in Kitara and Bwikya secondary schools, the only USE schools in the area.
Mackay College Nateete had fewer students. There were 160 students in S1 and 142 in s2. The head teacher said the school lacked space for extra students.
Nsubuga said he would check the ministry’s records just in case the school omitted students referred there.
“It is very unfair for a school to lack students when others are over-congested,†he commented.
In Jinja municipality, the only USE school, Gloryland Christian College in Mpumudde division, had few students in both S1 and S2.
Jonathan Kamwana, the senior education officer, said most parents had taken their children to private schools.
Also noted in the exercise was the high drop-out rate of students.
At Kitebi SSS, the S2 class had 270 students, yet they were 369 last year.
In Kololo SSS, six students dropped out, while Luzira SSS, which had 338 students in S1 last year, 245 joined s2.
In Gulu district, the high drop-out was attributed to people leaving the camps for their homes.
Awach SSS, which had 148 students in S1 in 2007, now has 101 students in S2. Only half of the 139 students admitted to s1 this year have reported.
At Lukome SSS, more than half of the 60 students admitted in S1 had not reported and only 27 students of the 50 in s2 were present.
The head count was carried out in about 800 government-aided schools, 400 private schools and 120 vocational institutions.
Additional reporting by Chris Ocowun, Amlan Tumusiime, Charles Kakamwa and
Luke Kagiri
Officials of the education ministry were yesterday overwhelmed by the big number of students who were admitted for the Universal Secondary Education (USE) this year.
Yusuf Nsubuga, the commissioner in charge of secondary education, said most USE schools had admitted more students than they could handle.
Nsubuga was yesterday inspecting various USE schools during the one-day national head count of s1 and S2 students.
Also counted were year one and two students under the Universal Post Primary, Technical and Vocational Education Training programme.
At Kitebi SSS on Masaka road, Nsubuga streams had more than 100 students each.
The headmistress, Florence Tinkamanya, said the school had capacity for 240 students but 284 were registered. Nsubuga promised that the ministry would build rooms for the extra students.
In Kololo SSS in Kampala, the S1 class had 473 students. The head teacher, Margaret Watuwa, said s1 had five streams, the biggest stream with 100 students.
For Luzira SSS, the big intake compelled it to use the double-shift system.
The deputy headmaster, James Kyewusa, said they admitted 565 students in S1 and S2, with each class having five streams instead of the two before.
The ministry gave the school sh70m to build four classrooms and toilets.
In Hoima district, head teachers complained that politicians were against the double-shift system in Kitara and Bwikya secondary schools, the only USE schools in the area.
Mackay College Nateete had fewer students. There were 160 students in S1 and 142 in s2. The head teacher said the school lacked space for extra students.
Nsubuga said he would check the ministry’s records just in case the school omitted students referred there.
“It is very unfair for a school to lack students when others are over-congested,†he commented.
In Jinja municipality, the only USE school, Gloryland Christian College in Mpumudde division, had few students in both S1 and S2.
Jonathan Kamwana, the senior education officer, said most parents had taken their children to private schools.
Also noted in the exercise was the high drop-out rate of students.
At Kitebi SSS, the S2 class had 270 students, yet they were 369 last year.
In Kololo SSS, six students dropped out, while Luzira SSS, which had 338 students in S1 last year, 245 joined s2.
In Gulu district, the high drop-out was attributed to people leaving the camps for their homes.
Awach SSS, which had 148 students in S1 in 2007, now has 101 students in S2. Only half of the 139 students admitted to s1 this year have reported.
At Lukome SSS, more than half of the 60 students admitted in S1 had not reported and only 27 students of the 50 in s2 were present.
The head count was carried out in about 800 government-aided schools, 400 private schools and 120 vocational institutions.
Additional reporting by Chris Ocowun, Amlan Tumusiime, Charles Kakamwa and
Luke Kagiri