Competition for university tightens

By CONAN BUSINGE AND FRANCIS KAGOLO

The number of candidates eligible for admission to universities and other tertiary institutions has increased due to improved performance in the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education examinations last year.

A total of 65,417 candidates qualified for admission to university and other tertiary institutions this year, compared to 61,820 in 2010, according to the results released yesterday.

At two principals which are the minimum passes considered for admission to tertiary institutions; performance is better than that of 2010 which is 64% compared 62% in 2011.

The failure rate has been declining over the years. This means there is an increase of 3,894 candidates competing for university slots on government and private admission in both state and privately owned universities.

In regard to the overall performance, a very high percentage of candidates (99.2%) qualified for the UACE award, compared to 98.8% in the previous year.

This was out of the 102,296 candidates who did the national examinations, compared to 99,904 in the previous year. The number of female candidates, according to Matthew Bukenya, increased from 40,856 in 2010 to 42,341 in 2011.

Bukenya is the Uganda National Examinations Board secretary. Females constituted 40.8% of the total number of candidates who sat for the national examinations in 2011.

The results were released yesterday by education minister Jessica Alupo flanked by the junior ministers Dr. John Muyingo and Kamanda Bataringaya.

The permanent secretary, Francis Xavier Lubanga, also attended. In regard to percentages, female candidates performed better than males in entrepreneurship, Islamic Religious Education, Christian Religious Education, geography, literature and biology.

Male candidates were better in history, economics and art. The performance in physics and chemistry is comparable between males and females.

The minister also noted that only 20% of candidates usually sit for mathematics and science subjects which she says must be increased.

“Several other students must sit for these subjects. At this rate, we run the risk of missing sciencebased development programmes,” Alupo noted. The Government stopped sponsoring most arts courses over five years ago, meaning that most students who have qualified for university admissions will miss out on state scholarships.

Statistics from the university admissions office show that several girls are losing out to boys on government scholarships for science courses.

Alupo also noted that the Government will continue promoting sciences through the construction of laboratories and computer rooms. She noted that rural areas like Karamoja would seriously be considered.

Alupo was in Karamoja last week, inspecting several classrooms, computer and science laboratories constructed with the
support of the Irish Aid project, at a cost of sh32b. “Such rural areas will get affirmative action to ensure the is promotion of science teaching and mathematics,” she noted yesterday after the release of results.

She said she would return to Karamoja and other rural parts of the country to monitor the progress of teaching of sciences.
In regard to the performance in last year’s examinations, in sciences the problems were seen in graphical and data interpretation, manipulation of apparatus, mathematical computations, writing correct equations and chemical symbols.

Examiners of physics practicals, according to Bukenya, reported an overall improvement in handling apparatus and performing required tasks. Meanwhile, slightly over 100 candidates have had their results withheld for further investigations.

Most of these are from St. Theresa Girls Bwanda, Homeland SS Lugazi, Mariam HS Kampala, St. John’s College Mpigi and Brethren Memorial School Matugga.

This is a sign that there are fewer students suspected of cheating at national examinations at A’level, compared to the previous years.