By URN
Several school teachers under Kikuube district local government are being investigated over the poor Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) results. The teachers are being investigated for gross absenteeism, which education officials in the district are blaming for the high failure rate.
Statistics from the district education department indicate that 4,259 candidates sat for the examinations, but 363 candidates completely failed. Further statistics show that 250 candidates emerged in Division One, 2,046 passed in Division Two, 1,018 candidates passed in Division Three, and 449 passed in Division Four.
Additionally, 133 candidates who registered for the examinations failed to show up. The statistics reveal that 2,152 girls sat for the exams compared to 2,107 boys. Among them, 148 boys excelled in Division One, while 102 girls also emerged in Division One.
Amon Zondera, the Inspector of Schools for Kikuube, says they are currently investigating some teachers for gross absenteeism, which he attributes to the poor performance of the candidates. He adds that after the investigations, stern disciplinary action will be taken against all those found guilty.
Zondera explains that the high failure rate is also due to absenteeism among learners who registered for the exams but did not attend classes. He notes that the lack of enough teachers is another factor contributing to poor performance, as many teachers in the district retired and have not been replaced. Late arrivals and early departures from school by both teachers and learners also contributed to the poor performance.
Canon Edward Busingye, the Kikuube Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), says they plan to delete from the payroll the names of teachers found absconding from duty, stating that this form of absenteeism is another corruption issue affecting the district’s education department.
Deogratius Byakagaba, the Kikuube District Education Officer (DEO), also attributes the high rate of failure to gross absenteeism of some teachers and warns that stern disciplinary action will be taken against them.
Byakagaba also attributes the failure to the lack of lunch provision by parents, stating that it is difficult for pupils to pay proper attention in class on an empty stomach.
