The selection of senior students by head teachers of various government-aided and private schools from across the country kicked off today.
Secondary school head teachers from all over the country are laboriously taking on the two-day selection exercise at the Uganda Manufacturing Association grounds in Kampala after the release of the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) results a few days ago.
More than half of candidates who sat last year’s PLE are eligible to join post-primary institutions for further education, according to Uganda National Examinations Board. The results showed that 541,089 candidates, representing 87per cent of the total candidates who sat the examinations, passed in Divisions One, Two, Three and Four compared to 517,889 (86.2 per cent) in the previous year.
Government last week released the cut-off points for admission into government-aided schools.
At least seven schools like Kitende, Namugongo, Kisubi, Namilyango, Namagunga, Gayaza and King’s College Budo are planning to admit only candidates who obtained aggregate four and five in last year’s PLE.
Many other top schools that have set aggregate seven as the cut-off points will increase. The hike in entry cut-off points is attributed to the improved performance in last year’s Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE). More so, the number of candidates went up last year, compared to the previous year.
Admissions to Senior One are based on the candidate’s performance in PLE and the schools he or she applied to. PLE candidates are required to fill forms before the examinations, indicating the schools they prefer to join for secondary education.
However, most schools under the Universal Secondary Education programme, especially those upcountry, are expected to admit candidates who scored up to aggregate 28.
Majority of candidates, 251,787, passed in Division Two compared to 63,400 who appeared in Division One, which is the best grade under the Uneb rating.
Although there were more girls who registered for PLE at 51.3per cent than boys at 48.7per cent, the latter performed better than their female counterparts.
Schools officially open on February 6 for first term.
