Performance by gender
Male pupils who wrote their 2022 PLE performed better than their female counterparts. Uneb’s dataset shows that 400,100 of the 811,863 were male. This means that 432,554 girls wrote their 2022 PLE.
Uneb revealed that whereas female candidates performed better than their male counterparts in the English subject, boys fared better in social studies and religious education, integrated science, as well as mathematics.
For the last six years, more girls have been completing the primary education cycle compared to their male counterparts.
Boys, however, continually perform better than girls.
Private schools prevail
More candidates who sat for PLE were from Universal Primary Schools. According to the figures, 566,515 candidates sat for exams in UPE schools compared to 245,295, who sat for exams in private schools.
However, according to performance, non-UPE candidates performed better than their UPE counterparts. Mr Odongo attributed the disparity in performance to the fact that teachers in private schools tend to spend more time on tasks. He also revealed that learners in private entities spend more time at school.
“The teachers tend to adopt teaching methods that emphasise preparation of candidates for test taking, as well as the high involvement of, especially urban parents in their children’s learning process,” Mr Odongo said.
Top performers
Among the schools that posted good performances are Kyanja-based Kampala Standard Primary School, which had a 100 percent passing rate.
Grand Salai Nursery and Junior Schools, and Bright Valley Junior School also had all their candidates passing in Division One.
Others are Hillside Primary schools with 90 pupils passing in First Grade; Kampala Parents School with 291 candidates out of 410 obtaining Division One; Mbuya Parents with 162 candidates in First Grade; Matuwa Junior Schools with 11 out of 17 attaining First Grade and Kabale Preparatory with 50 out of 51 in Division One.
Absenteeism increases
Uneb, however, registered an increase in the number of absentees after 20,844 candidates failed to turn up for the 2022 exams. In 2020, around 12,819 candidates were a no-show.
First Lady Janet Museveni, also the Education minister, expressed her displeasure at the increment in the number of candidates who missed the examinations.
She said an inquest into the increase in absenteeism is of the essence.
The First Lady stressed that such a development does a great disservice to the nation, families and children who waste their time.
“For these young people to miss out on sitting their examinations and the opportunity to move to the next level of their education is very unfortunate, painful and cumulatively a loss to all,” she noted.
Ms Museveni was also not pleased about the low rate of completion at the primary school level. The rate stands at a dismal 32 percent.
List of Best Performing Districts In The PLE Exams