Sh9b for USE exam fees
Mar 02, 2010
THE Government has set aside sh9.3b for examination fees for about 135,000 students who will sit O’level this year under the Universal Secondary Education programme (USE).
By Joyce Namutebi
THE Government has set aside sh9.3b for examination fees for about 135,000 students who will sit O’level this year under the Universal Secondary Education programme (USE).
“This is at a rate of sh63,000 per candidate,†education and sports minister Namirembe Bitamazire announced yesterday.
She explained that the Government had already budgeted for the UNEB examination fees for the USE candidates who will do their examinations in October because of the lessons learnt from the Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme.
“When UPE started, we realised that parents could not afford PLE exam fees, causing a large percentage of pupils to drop out in November,†Bitamazire told journalists in her office in Kampala.
The Government, she explained, came up with a funding programme for USE to pay UNEB exam fees so that students who could not afford do not drop out of school before they sit for their examinations.
This is going to be the first group of USE students to sit O’level examinations since the programme was started in 2007.
The minister said this year about 135,000 will sit O’level under the USE programme, according to figures from the planning department.
Bitamazire, however, clarified that the Government was not paying for everybody but for only students registered and enrolled under the USE programme.
She warned head teachers in schools under USE programme against charging the students again.
Bitamazire said she had received information that some head teachers were charging up to sh100,000 for the examinations.
She said a head count exercise for all USE students is scheduled to take place mid this month.
She warned head teachers of USE schools against forcing Senior Four students to stay in boarding and in hostels, and making them pay boarding fees.
“All enrolled and registered students must be counted as we have done for the last three years to confirm those still in the system and to avoid ‘ghost’ students,†Bitamazire emphsized.
Bitamazire said the idea of staying in boarding was good, but that USE was basically a day-school programme. She said the boarding costs were forcing students to drop out of school.
She encouraged Primary Seven, O’level and A’level leavers to enroll in business, technical sand vocational training institutions, saying that the economy needs people with skills.
THE Government has set aside sh9.3b for examination fees for about 135,000 students who will sit O’level this year under the Universal Secondary Education programme (USE).
“This is at a rate of sh63,000 per candidate,†education and sports minister Namirembe Bitamazire announced yesterday.
She explained that the Government had already budgeted for the UNEB examination fees for the USE candidates who will do their examinations in October because of the lessons learnt from the Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme.
“When UPE started, we realised that parents could not afford PLE exam fees, causing a large percentage of pupils to drop out in November,†Bitamazire told journalists in her office in Kampala.
The Government, she explained, came up with a funding programme for USE to pay UNEB exam fees so that students who could not afford do not drop out of school before they sit for their examinations.
This is going to be the first group of USE students to sit O’level examinations since the programme was started in 2007.
The minister said this year about 135,000 will sit O’level under the USE programme, according to figures from the planning department.
Bitamazire, however, clarified that the Government was not paying for everybody but for only students registered and enrolled under the USE programme.
She warned head teachers in schools under USE programme against charging the students again.
Bitamazire said she had received information that some head teachers were charging up to sh100,000 for the examinations.
She said a head count exercise for all USE students is scheduled to take place mid this month.
She warned head teachers of USE schools against forcing Senior Four students to stay in boarding and in hostels, and making them pay boarding fees.
“All enrolled and registered students must be counted as we have done for the last three years to confirm those still in the system and to avoid ‘ghost’ students,†Bitamazire emphsized.
Bitamazire said the idea of staying in boarding was good, but that USE was basically a day-school programme. She said the boarding costs were forcing students to drop out of school.
She encouraged Primary Seven, O’level and A’level leavers to enroll in business, technical sand vocational training institutions, saying that the economy needs people with skills.