Hoima Education boss Attributes Poor Performance to Understaffing, learners absentism
“The city has since 2018 failed to fill the 41 teaching gaps, with the number pupils in schools growing each day,” Kusiima, the Principal Education Officer Hoima city expressed his worry.
Dorothy Nyambubi
Hoima, Uganda; In the recent result, UNEB officials said there was a declined in the overall performance country as higher number of candidates passed in grade three and above.
Some of the educationalists have attributed this to leaners' absenteeism and lack of enough teaching stuff in some of the government aided school.
In Bulisa District, according to the official result, a total of 310 have failed the Exams.
While announcing the results, the District Education officer, Tyson Kiiza unveiled that out 1,668 candidates who registered for PLE in only 51 passed in grade one, 599 candidates scored grad two, 499 got division three while 194 scored grade four and finally 15 failed with no grade.
He further divulges that a total of 310 candidates failed, 141 candidates being males and 169 being females.
However, in Hoima City “PLE results indicates that a total 3,399 candidates who sat for the 2023 PLE, 627 candidates passed in first division, 1,690 passed in second grade, 535 in third grade, 231 in fourth grade, 276 in U and 40 candidates registered but didn’t do the exams,” Johnson Kusiima Baigana, the Principal Education Officer revealed.
Kusiima also disclosed that the number of candidates who sat in 2023 declined by 79 candidates compared to year 2022. In his report, the number of division II increased by 139 compared to the previous year of 2022.
He said the number of candidates who registered and failed to turn up reduced by 45 which is seen as an improvement compared to PLE of 2022.
In response to Poor performance, Mr. Ksiima attributed to high rate of absenteeism among learners and understaffing in most government aided schools.
“The city has since 2018 failed to fill the 41 teaching gaps, with the number pupils in schools growing each day,” Kusiima expressed his worry.
He adds that in the 2023 academic year, the performance of learners continued to dwindle since many learners did not take part in continuous assessments after the State House Anti-Corruption Unit the previous year grilled head teachers over alleged soliciting funds from leaners to enable them procure such assessments.
Achilles Kiiza, the secretary for education and health Hoima City Council said the staffing gap will be addressed once the public service ministry lifts the ban on recruitment of staff.
Kiiza advised parents to provide their children with scholastic materials and lunch at school adding that there is also need for parents to pay utility funds among others to better the performance of learners.
