Head teachers in Greater Luwero districts whose schools registered ungraded candidates will face disciplinary action.
Last week Uganda National Examination Board-UNEB released the 2022 Primary Leaving Examinations results. According to the results for Luwero district, 13,974 (89%) out of 15,706 candidates who registered for the exams passed to join secondary schools whereas 1347 candidates (8.6%) failed and 385 (2.4%) didn’t turn up.
In Nakasongola, 3677 out of 4606 registered candidates passed to progress to secondary schools whereas 683 candidates (15.7%) failed and 246 candidates (5.3%) didn’t turn up for exams.
In Nakaseke, 4777 out of 5172 registered candidates passed the exams whereas 211 candidates failed and 184 candidates didn’t turn up for exams.
The District Executive Committees led by LCV Chairpersons have ordered the Education Officers to compile an analysis of the performance of each school to enable them to recommend disciplinary actions on those who registered a high number of ungraded candidates.
Erastus Kibirango the LCV Chairperson of Luwero district says that the head teachers will appear before the Rewards and Sanctions Committee to defend themselves why the learners failed the exams.
Kibirango says that those who fail to defend themselves will be forwarded to District Service Commission to face disciplinary actions which include reprimand, demotions and dismissal.
Yusuf Kamulegeya the Luwero District Inspector of Schools says that its lawful for the head teachers to be disciplined if they fail to execute duties entrusted to them.
“Am currently analyzing each school’s performance and will table them before District Executive Committee to make further recommendations on head teachers. Our target is to ensure that all candidates pass PLE and be able at least to join Universal Secondary Education” Kamulegeya said.
In Nakasongola, Sam Kigula, the LCV Chairperson says that the high failure rate is attributed to absenteeism and incompetence of the head teachers.
Kigula says that in 2022, at least 56 head teachers were implicated in absconding from duty which affected the supervision of teachers to teach learners to pass.
Kigula says that any head teacher who appeared on the list of absenteeism and now registered a high failure rate of candidates will definitely be either demoted, transferred, or interdicted.
“We shall sit on Tuesday next week and the fate of those head teachers will be determined that day. We shall not accept learners to fail and look on as teachers who recently got salary increments are not working” Kigula said
Samuel Mbangire the Nakasongola District Inspector of Schools says that apart from ungraded candidates, the head teachers will also be asked to account for candidates that registered for PLE and didn’t up to sit so that we also find the solution for it.
In Nakaseke, Ignatius Koomu the LCV Chairperson says that the 2022 target for all head teachers was to ensure that 90% of registered candidates pass and those who failed to achieve it will definitely be demoted to classroom teachers.
“For us as Nakaseke, that resolution was passed by the district council and the District Executive is obliged to ensure it’s implemented. Am waiting for analysis of each school to see who failed to achieve it and recommend for demotion” Koomu said.
Since the district introduced the measures to demote head teachers over ungraded candidates in 2016, the general pass rate has increased and hit 92.3% in 2022.
But some head teachers who preferred anonymity said that the candidates’ failure should be attributed to parents who don’t offer lunch and other support to pupils as well as the government’s inability to address infrastructure challenges among other issues.
