Best schools for primary leavers
Jan 23, 2010
RELIGIOUS-founded schools with strict discipline, experienced teachers, effective supervision of teachers and strict discipline among students have registered the best O’level performance over the past decade, according to an analysis by Saturday Vision.
By John Eremu and Conan Businge
RELIGIOUS-founded schools with strict discipline, experienced teachers, effective supervision of teachers and strict discipline among students have registered the best O’level performance over the past decade, according to an analysis by Saturday Vision.
In a ranking based on the percentage of students who scored Division 1 in O level since 2000, Uganda Martyrs Namugongo emerged the best. An average of 99.6 percent of O level candidates at Namugongo passed in Division 1 during this period. The calculation is based on official results of 2,330 schools, obtained from the Uganda National Examinations Board.
Namugongo was followed by Mt. St. Mary’s Namagunga, St. Mary’s College Kisubi, St. Henry’s College Kitovu and Nabisunsa Girls’ School. Others among the top 10 are Namilyango College, Gayaza High School, King’s College Budo, Trinity College Nabingo and Maryhill High School.
Leaders in the top 10 schools emphasised that good performance resulted from a winning culture and mentality developed over a period of years. From the time students enter the schools they are inspired to believe they can excel, taught well, given study aids and groomed into a culture of discipline.
Dr. Chrysostom Muyingo, the head teacher of Uganda Martyrs Namugongo, said his school does not compromise on discipline of students and performance of teachers. Discipline, he said, eliminates time wasting. “We at Uganda Martyrs’ SS believe in purity. Wherever you are in this school, we make you realise that what you do will affect what your child will be tomorrow.â€
The school encourages all students to engage in curricular and extra-curricular activities. He adds that students are motivated by free flow of information between them and the administration. For instance a student who has a suggestion or complaint can simply walk into the headmaster’s or any administrator’s office and table it. In addition, each class in the school is assigned a committee of parents who monitor academic affairs and periodically advise the school administration.
This is a deviation from the traditional system of having one Parent Teacher Association (PTA) committee for the entire school, which holds a general meeting once in a year.
The career teacher of Mt. St Mary’s Namagunga, Stella Byaruhanga, explained that good performance is not by chance and cannot be achieved overnight. It takes years of hard work and has nothing to do with whether a school is mixed or single sex. She added that most of the highly performing schools have stable policies and practices that have been implemented for years. “Most of the good performing schools were established several years ago; which makes them have an advantage over others,†Byaruhanga explained.
The dean of students at Nabisunsa Girls School, Mustafa Miuwa, says the school ensures that the syllabus in all subjects is completed in time. The long-established schools, he added, have experienced teachers. “At Nabisunsa, teachers are encouraged to be committed and to work in uniformity. We groom our children to be winners from the day they arrive here.â€
Like several other religious-founded schools, Nabisunsa runs remedial classes at night. The school is spacious enough to give room for night reading and remedial classes at the same time. Apart from remedial classes for all students, Nabisunsa and Namugongo allocate extra time for weaker students to teach them what they might not have understood during normal class sessions.
The analysis shows that traditional old schools perform better than the more flashy private schools countrywide. This, analysts say, could be partly because the traditional schools have the most experienced teachers. Many of the teachers in the traditional schools are involved in setting and marking examinations, which helps their students get first-hand guidance on mistakes which should be avoided while answering national examinations.
As expected, urban schools are performing better than rural schools. Almost 80 percent of the top 100 schools are in urban settings. Their good performance, is partly attributed to having access to better teachers and facilities than their rural counterparts.
There are 418,479 pupils eligible for post primary education from last years PLE examinations. At least 492,000 senior one students shall be accommodated following deliberate expansion of capacity in both public and private secondary schools over the past year. About 916 government-aided schools shall this year absorb 390,000 students up from 330,000 last year.
Detailed information on schools can be obtained from The Vision Secondary Schools Directory now available in leading supermarkets and New Vision agents countrywide.
RELIGIOUS-founded schools with strict discipline, experienced teachers, effective supervision of teachers and strict discipline among students have registered the best O’level performance over the past decade, according to an analysis by Saturday Vision.
In a ranking based on the percentage of students who scored Division 1 in O level since 2000, Uganda Martyrs Namugongo emerged the best. An average of 99.6 percent of O level candidates at Namugongo passed in Division 1 during this period. The calculation is based on official results of 2,330 schools, obtained from the Uganda National Examinations Board.
Namugongo was followed by Mt. St. Mary’s Namagunga, St. Mary’s College Kisubi, St. Henry’s College Kitovu and Nabisunsa Girls’ School. Others among the top 10 are Namilyango College, Gayaza High School, King’s College Budo, Trinity College Nabingo and Maryhill High School.
Leaders in the top 10 schools emphasised that good performance resulted from a winning culture and mentality developed over a period of years. From the time students enter the schools they are inspired to believe they can excel, taught well, given study aids and groomed into a culture of discipline.
Dr. Chrysostom Muyingo, the head teacher of Uganda Martyrs Namugongo, said his school does not compromise on discipline of students and performance of teachers. Discipline, he said, eliminates time wasting. “We at Uganda Martyrs’ SS believe in purity. Wherever you are in this school, we make you realise that what you do will affect what your child will be tomorrow.â€
The school encourages all students to engage in curricular and extra-curricular activities. He adds that students are motivated by free flow of information between them and the administration. For instance a student who has a suggestion or complaint can simply walk into the headmaster’s or any administrator’s office and table it. In addition, each class in the school is assigned a committee of parents who monitor academic affairs and periodically advise the school administration.
This is a deviation from the traditional system of having one Parent Teacher Association (PTA) committee for the entire school, which holds a general meeting once in a year.
The career teacher of Mt. St Mary’s Namagunga, Stella Byaruhanga, explained that good performance is not by chance and cannot be achieved overnight. It takes years of hard work and has nothing to do with whether a school is mixed or single sex. She added that most of the highly performing schools have stable policies and practices that have been implemented for years. “Most of the good performing schools were established several years ago; which makes them have an advantage over others,†Byaruhanga explained.
The dean of students at Nabisunsa Girls School, Mustafa Miuwa, says the school ensures that the syllabus in all subjects is completed in time. The long-established schools, he added, have experienced teachers. “At Nabisunsa, teachers are encouraged to be committed and to work in uniformity. We groom our children to be winners from the day they arrive here.â€
Like several other religious-founded schools, Nabisunsa runs remedial classes at night. The school is spacious enough to give room for night reading and remedial classes at the same time. Apart from remedial classes for all students, Nabisunsa and Namugongo allocate extra time for weaker students to teach them what they might not have understood during normal class sessions.
The analysis shows that traditional old schools perform better than the more flashy private schools countrywide. This, analysts say, could be partly because the traditional schools have the most experienced teachers. Many of the teachers in the traditional schools are involved in setting and marking examinations, which helps their students get first-hand guidance on mistakes which should be avoided while answering national examinations.
As expected, urban schools are performing better than rural schools. Almost 80 percent of the top 100 schools are in urban settings. Their good performance, is partly attributed to having access to better teachers and facilities than their rural counterparts.
There are 418,479 pupils eligible for post primary education from last years PLE examinations. At least 492,000 senior one students shall be accommodated following deliberate expansion of capacity in both public and private secondary schools over the past year. About 916 government-aided schools shall this year absorb 390,000 students up from 330,000 last year.
Detailed information on schools can be obtained from The Vision Secondary Schools Directory now available in leading supermarkets and New Vision agents countrywide.