UCE: Mixed Results in Science Performance

UCE: Mixed Results in Science Performance

The number of O-Level candidates who excelled in Mathematics and Biology subjects has increased while in other essential science subjects –Agriculture and Physics- there was a drop in performance.

This information is contained in the 2023 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examination results released by the Uganda National Examination Board (Uneb) on Thursday.

Figures from Uneb show that among the subjects where many candidates got distinctions one and two, Mathematics was ranked number three, just after Islam Religious Education (number one) and Christian Religious Education subjects (number two).

However, the Uneb figures also indicate that generally, the performance of candidates in science subjects has persistently been below that registered in arts subjects amid government interventions such as salary increments for science teachers.

While releasing the UCE results on Thursday, Mr Dan Odongo, the Uneb executive director, indicated that close to half of the candidates were unable to pass essential science subjects – Chemistry and Physics.

“Performance in the sciences continues to be a cause for concern, with less than 20 percent of the candidates obtaining Credit pass levels in Physics and Chemistry, and 40 percent or more unable to pass. It is worth noting, however, the upturn in performance in Biology, which has been recording a steady decline,” he said.

For Biology subject, in 2022 UCE results, only 0.2 percent of candidates got distinctions one and two. This raised concern among educationists and health scientists as the subject is essential for one to become a health practitioner or study other life science-related courses at the institution or university level of education.

Now in the 2023 UCE results, three percent of candidates got distinctions one and two in Biology. In Chemistry, another essential science subject, 2.6 percent of candidates got distinctions one and two, a very small increase from 2.5 per cent recorded in 2022.

In an interview, Mr Vincent Elong, the chairperson of Uganda Professional Science Teachers’ Union (UPSTU), attributed the improvement in performance in some science subjects to the increased motivation of teachers. He said performance improvement is a gradual process that shall be achieved with increased government investment in the education sector.

“One of the best subjects performed, if I am to look at the distinctions, there is Mathematics which is ranked number three and then there is Agriculture which has many people passing. Subjects like Chemistry have also improved, we used to hardly get people in distinctions but we have been able to maintain,” he said.

“Biology which was down last year has also improved. Improvement is not a one-day thing. We got a salary enhancement just one year ago. These students were already semi-candidates. We have seen teachers settle down, that is why we have seen performance rise. For somebody to score Division One, they must have passed Mathematics. If there was no improvement in science, how come the passes in Division One have shot so high? That means there was an improvement in some science subjects that has impacted,” he added.

In Physics, candidates who got distinctions one and two reduced from 1.7 percent in 2022 to 1.2 percent in 2023, and a similar decline was also registered in Agriculture from 8.6 percent to 5.3 percent.
Dr Odongo said examiners have attributed the low achievement levels in sciences to inadequate teaching, “manifesting in the inability of the learners to master the basic scientific concepts.”

The other factors highlighted by examiners include the lack of practical teaching, manifesting in the learners’ inability to manipulate science apparatus to carry out the procedures prescribed in the examination papers, and interpret any readings or observations that could have been made.

“There are schools that have been reported to have no science teachers, which exacerbates the problem. Most of the examination malpractice cases at this level are in the practical papers,” the Uneb executive director said.

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