The Ministry of Education will discontinue from secondary school 10,222 students who were illegally enrolled into the Universal Secondary Education (USE) program. Education Minister Namirembe Bitamazire told a news conference in Kampala today that the discontinued students did not attain the minimum Grade Three qualification to enroll in USE.
Bitamazire said a total of 158,776 students were counted as enrolled in USE during a nationwide headcount conducted on March 14th. She said the unexpected large numbers have forced the Ministry of Education to introduce two-shift teaching next term.
Under the two-shift teaching arrangement, some students will study only in the morning, leaving room for others to study in the afternoons.
Bitamazire named some of the schools with the largest USE enrollment as Mukoma Secondary School in Mbale, which registered 725 Senior One students and Soroti Municipality Secondary School with 716 students. She said that on the other side of the scale was Bukasa Secondary School in Kalangala district where only three students registered for USE.
Equally dismal enrollment was registered in Apopong Secondary School in Pallisa which registered five students, St. Adrian Kasozi Secondary School in Rakai registered six students and only seven students were registered at Kiggwa Secondary School in Mityana.
Minister Bitamazire said more than 6,000 students were not available for the head count. She said all head teachers have been instructed to provide fresh data on their students in order to receive the capitation grant provided by Government to support USE.
