FDC wants Government to come up with a masterplan for 1 million Primary School dropouts

The opposition Forum for Democratic Change, FDC has noted that the Primary Leaving Examination, PLE results that were released on Friday last week indicate how President Yoweri Museveni and his family are committed to lowering the standards of education in Uganda.

According to the results released by Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), male candidates outperformed their female counterparts.

The party president Patrick Oboi Amuriat says that 1,88,0000 pupils enrolled for Primary one in 2016 and out of these only 832,000 registered to sit for PLE in 2022 of which 23,000 did not sit leaving only 811,000 sat for the examinations.

“97,000 of those who sat for the exams failed and are unable to continue with secondary education. 811,000 sat for the examinations. Only 832000 registered for 2022 UNEB PLE, 23000 did not sit despite registering, 811000 sat for the examinations and 97000 of those who sat for the examinations were unqualified for a UNEB certificate,” said Amuriat.

He wondered what president Museveni and the first lady also the minister of education are planning for the pupils who didn’t make it to the secondary level education.

“The government has deliberately refused to prioritize education, first with a ceremonial minister of Education who barely makes a show only when the results are being released. Then the fluctuating and unreliability of budgetary funds towards the education sector especially the 2 USD per pupil annually towards UPE,” he added.

Amuriat says that the salary disparity between teachers of sciences against their arts counterparts is fueled by the NRM government trying the divide and rule politics because the national teachers’ union had steadily grown strong.

Adding that there are Covid school sabbatical child mothers who mostly dropped out of school and the government has completely forgotten about them.

“We propose that Government should develop a strategic master plan for those 1,168,000 pupils who have failed to transit to the next education level every year.  Lastly, schools are reopening next week, we ask parents to sacrifice and take back their children to school. And to the schools, we know the economy is hard but try to bear with the parents,” said Amuriat.