Experts tip on improving performance of special needs learners

The 2023 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations results released by the Uganda National Examinations Boards (Uneb) on Thursday, show an improvement in performance among some candidates with special needs.

Speaking at the release of the results, Uneb Executive Director Dan Odongo said the improvement was registered especially among learners with low vision.   

Mr Odongo, however, said the performance among those with hearing impairment was poor.

“…the deaf candidates appear more disadvantaged by their disability. Of these, 57.7 percent obtained Division 4, and 25.4 percent failed,” he said.

According to Uneb, under the category of the deaf, a total of 71 learners sat for the exams in 2023, of which, three passed in Division One, three in Division Two, six in Division Three, and 41 in Division Four, compared to 120 blind candidates who sat for the exams in 2022, of which five passed in Division One, 10 in Division Two, 10 in Division Three, 74 in Division Four.

In the category of Low Vision, 53 of the 183 candidates who sat for the exams passed in Division One, 40 in Division Two, 41 in Division Three, and 44 in Division Four. Only five students scored Division Nine.

The number of blind candidates who sat for exams decreased from 46 in 2022 to 35 in 2023.  However, those who passed in Division One increased from two students to five, while the number of those who got second grade declined from 13 students in the previous year to five in 2023.

In addition, 10 candidates passed in Division Three compared to 11 in 2022.

Under the dyslexic category, the number of candidates who sat for exams increased from 66 in 2022, to 90 candidates last year.

There was also a performance improvement.  Out of the 90 candidates, five passed in Division One, and 19 in Division Two compared to four and six respectively in 2022. A total of 24 learners passed in Division Three, while 25 passed in Division Four.  A total of 17 got Division Nine.

The physically handicapped category had 79 students and 10 of them passed in Division One, 15 in Division Two, 19 in Division Three, and 32 in Division Four, while three failed.

In the previous year, a total of 179 students sat the exams and 22 of them passed in Division One, 32 in Division Two, 41 in Division Three, and 65 in Division Four, while 19 failed.

A total of 809 Special Needs Education students sat for the 2023 UCE examination, compared to 721 in 2022.

Experts weigh in
Experts attributed the poor performance among learners with special needs to a shortage of teachers, equipment, conducive environment, as well as stigma and discrimination.

Ms Mary Gorreti Nakabugo, the executive director of Uwezo Uganda, an organisation that promotes equality in education, recommended that care and support accorded to special needs learners during the national examinations period should be extended to them throughout the education cycle. 

Ms Nagabugo said availing sign language interpreters, braille materials and machines, and large print text, is something that should be catered for early enough. 

Mr Filbert Baguma, the general secretary of Uganda National Teachers Union (Unatu), observed that although the government is promoting an inclusive education for all, access is limited, and retention and quality are negatively affected by constraints ranging from a lack of physical capacity, infrastructure, and learning materials to inadequate teacher capacity and negative attitudes, as well as stigma.