Candidates score better grades in Arts
Shammiah Munduru (lifted)of Aringa SS in Yumbe District is congratulated by her teacher and colleagues after she scored aggregate 23. PHOTO/ROBERT ELEMA
What you need to know:
- Uneb says whereas there was some improvement in the performance at the distinction level in Mathematics, there was a general decline in the general subject performance.
The 2022 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) results released by the Uganda National Examination Board (Uneb) on Thursday show a continuous trend of candidates performing better in the Arts subjects than sciences, despite the government’s efforts to promote the teaching and learning of sciences in the country.
The Uneb executive director, Mr Dan Odongo, said whereas there was some improvement in the performance at the distinction level in Mathematics, there was a general decline in the general subject performance.
Other sciences like Biology have continued to register a drop in the number of candidates passing the subject.
“Performance in Physics and Chemistry has improved, although the overall pass levels are still low. More than 40 percent [of the candidates] have not passed the two subjects (Physics and Chemistry),” Mr Odongo said while releasing the 2022 UCE results at State Lodge in Nakasero, Kampala.
The compulsory science subjects at O-Level are Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics, with Mathematics being one of the two grade determinants alongside the English language.
However, these have emerged as the worst-done subjects in previous and this year’s UCE.
In the 2020, Uneb noted that nearly half of the candidates failed to score the minimum Pass 8 level in the science subject, with Chemistry being the worst-done.
On several occasions, the President has emphasised the teaching of science subjects as the only path to improve innovations and technology advancements in the country. This Financial year, the Presidential directive to increase the remunerations of science teachers was implemented amid protests by their Arts counterparts.
Mr Odongo has attributed the poor performance in the science subjects to the candidates’ inability to handle science practical apparatus during the practical tests.
“The candidates’ weaknesses were also shown in making and recording observations and drawing conclusions from those observations to meet the demands of the questions. A lot of candidates also showed lack of practical experience in handling the apparatus,” Mr Odongo said.
He added: “Many schools tend to handle practical aspects of the curriculum much later in the course. As a result, students do not develop the necessary skills. This could explain why most malpractice cases are in science practical papers.”
The minister of Education, Ms Janet Museveni, said the overall performance in compulsory science subjects is not yet satisfactory despite some improvement. She added that the government will be making some curriculum reviews to ensure obsolete information in the Biology subject is eliminated.
“The ministry acknowledges the poor performance in Biology, which has been re-occurring through subsequent releases of UCE results. This matter is currently being addressed through the interventions of curriculum reviews,” Ms Museveni said.
“Government is committed to promoting the teaching and learning of science subjects as you know. Therefore, the Ministry of Education will look into this matter (poor performance in science subjects) and where necessary, re-examine our policies to address areas of concern,” she added.
Performance
The 2022 UCE results indicate 63.7 percent of the candidates passed Biology, Chemistry (58.7 percent) and Mathematics (64.2) with distinctions, credits and passes. Physics was the worst-done, with only 57.8 percent of the candidates passing the subject.
