Whereas the board releases reports to improve on the subjects, a few teachers effectively utilize the reports given the recurring errors in the work of candidates.
To address the poor trends in sciences at the O-level, the ministry of Education has collaborated with Innovation for Poverty Action (IPA) Uganda, a research and policy non-profit organization, to identify the root causes of poor performance.
The Under Secretary of the Education ministry, Dr Jane Egau Okou, announced while opening the third Cross-Country Learning Exchange (CCLE) meeting at Skyz hotel, Naguru from April 23 to 24, 2024.
Egau said that IPA Uganda is working with the Education Policy and Research (EPAR) department at the ministry to conduct a thorough investigation by collecting and analyzing data on all science subjects at O-level.
“The government alone cannot do everything and we appreciate any partnership to improve learning outcomes. In 2023, through the embedded lab project, the Education ministry partnered with IPA to conduct this research because decision-making based on data and evidence is critical at this stage,” Egau said.
She added: “You cannot improve what you don’t know. We needed this research so that we understand the challenges based on data to improve the performance of science subjects at the O-level. These findings will, eventually, improve science subjects at A-level where few students take on science combinations.”
Egau explained that this first-ever collaborative effort will pinpoint underlying causes and propose effective solutions based on research and evidence to guide the ministry. According to Uneb, theoretical teaching with very little practical experience given to candidates continues to affect the performance of sciences at all levels.
In the 2023 O-level examination results, candidates continued to struggle in science subjects, with failure rates remaining obstinately high as less than 20 per cent of the candidates obtained credit pass levels in Physics and Chemistry, and 40 per cent or more were unable to pass them.
The assistant commissioner in charge of Research and Innovation at the ministry, Anthony Rwebanda, noted that at least 45 schools across the country have been visited in the last three months.
“We are now in the final stages of the research and once the results are out, we shall publish them because this comes amid a concerning downward trajectory in sciences by all education stakeholders,” Rwebanda said, adding that the ministry is also discussing with IPA to conduct a study on the Competence-Based Education and Training (CBET) curriculum.
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