Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Monitor Team
Published on 2024-02-02 05:41:55
Most of the traditional secondary schools across the country are maintaining last year’s Senior One cut-off points after a higher proportion of candidates passed from last year’s Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE). A total of 648,662 candidates, who passed PLE in four different grades, are scheduled to report on February 19th for their opening term after being placed in different secondary schools across the country, all of whom were placed based on their respective schools choices. Some of the top schools from the central region set Aggregate Five for boys and Seven for girls, western region 10 for girls and eight for boys, while the remaining regions are admitting those with 13 points for both. Gayaza High School in Wakiso District maintained the cut-off point at Aggregate Five, Mbarara-based Ntare School maintained at Six points. St Mary’s College Rushoroza at Aggregate Eight, Nabumali High School Mbale at 12 points, and Wanyange Girls in Jinja at 12. Additional traditional schools that maintained last year’s cut-off points are Kigezi High School Butobere at 12 points and Immaculate Heart Girls also maintained at Six, Tororo Girls at Aggregate Nine, Gombe Secondary School maintained Aggregate Seven for boys and eight for girls, Maryhill High School at Six, Mbarara High School Seven, Lubiri Secondary Nine, Kigezi College Butobere 12 and St Kagwa Bushenyi Eight.
However, some traditional schools slightly relaxed their Senior One cut-off points, a decision which schools authorities said was done by the Ministry of Education and Sports, based on the general performance of the candidates. Wakiso-based Kings College Buddo, whose cut-off points stood at Five for both girls and boys, down from Four that were considered for boys in 2022, admitted 200 students out of the more than 5,000 who had applied. Mr Godfrey Kasamba, the Deputy Head Teacher of Kings College Buddo, said their admission was determined by the available space at the school. “Sometimes we get over 10,000 applicants, and if the first 200 out of those got four points, then that will be the cut-off points. Every student who gets between Aggregate Four and Five qualifies to go to Kings College Buddo, but the available space is always for the first 200,” he said. He noted that the school has admitted 140 boys, with the majority achieving Aggregate Four and Nine boys with Aggregate Five. Nabisunsa Girls relaxed Senior One -off points from Aggregate Six in 2022 to Seven in 2023 and Kawempe Muslim Secondary School equally relaxed from Aggregate Seven for girls in 2022 to Eight points in 2023 and Six for boys in 2022 to Seven in 2023. During a two-day Senior One Selection exercise in Kampala, some schools however, slightly tightened Senior One entry requirements by either increasing one or two cut-off points. Comboni College Lira tightened Senior One admission from Aggregate 15 in 2022 to 14. Jinja Secondary Schools are taking those with 12 points for girls from 14 last year and 14 for boys, from 16 last year. Masaka Secondary School also increased Senior One -off points from Aggregate 13 for girls in 2022 to 12 and from 11 for boys last year to Nine.
Like the traditional counterparts, some schools including private institutions as well as those under the Universal Secondary Education (USE) program, maintained, relaxed, and as well tightened their Senior One entry cut-off points. In central Uganda, private schools tightened their entry cut-off points. They selected learners with between Aggregate 10 and 15. However, some schools selected learners with up to 18 cut-off points while their USE counterparts did not exceed 20 -off points. Government schools from the up-country regions, especially eastern and northern, settled for Aggregate 28 for both boys and girls. Mr Christopher Opoka, the Deputy Head Teacher of Kitgum High School, told Daily Monitor that such decisions have been made to ensure that they admit a notable number of both boys and girls in the schools. Following an increased number of boys dropping out of schools, some schools decided to either maintain or relax cut-off points for both boys and girls to ensure that all learners are given an equal opportunity to compete.
While officiating at the selection exercises, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Sports, Ms. Ketty Lamaro, warned schools against unethical practices, such as selling placements to parents. Schools were reminded to handle the exercise on merit. The government has implemented automatic processes in the school selection to ensure USE students are provided the same opportunities for admission. Schools under its USE program were asked to send in the correct number of admitted students, for proper planning of capitation grants. A total of 1,644 schools turned up for day one of the schools’ selection.
Government and government-aided schools constituted more than half of the schools selected for the exercise. 515,160 learners, which translates to about 80% of the learners who passed, were admitted in Senior One in participating schools with the remaining number to be admitted at schools that did not participate in the selection exercise. Monday, February 7, was the official opening day for government-aided secondary schools in use in the country. Ms Jane Egau, the chairperson of the placement committee in the Ministry of Education and Sports, confirmed that the schools were given students according to their declared capacities.
Finance Minister by then Jacob Oulanyah, Mangushov Achair-UjechJiang.
Various secondary schools yesterday defied a government directive and hiked their fees structures for Senior One students by a varying amount of between 100,000 uganda shillings and 150,000. The majority of school heads Daily Monitor interviewed were unapologetic and reaffirmed that they had increased school fees. The Minister of Education and Sports, Ms Ketty Lamaro, reiterated that school heads who increased fees were contravening government policy. The absence of a clear law that empowers the Ministry to regulate fees in a liberalised economy and the absence of appropriate action to be taken against such actions is viewed as a major challenge in the education sector.
For years, parliamentarians have complained about what they called “exorbitant fees and other requirements” but no appropriate action have been taken against the culprits, a glitch blamed on the absence of a clear law that empowers the ministry to regulate fees in a liberalised economy. Mr Henry Semakula, a senior officer in charge of guidance and counselling at the Ministry of Education and Sports, said more attention should equally be given to the boy child to curb drop out among the male learners. “Please attend to the boys, they are being wasted in gambling and drug abuse. Mental health is a big challenge in schools,” Mr Semakula said. The table below summarizes the fees structures for secondary schools.
Ultimately, the changes in admission policies for secondary school students reflect a range of dynamics playing out in the education system.
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