Nakaseke District has demoted four headteachers due to poor performance in the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE). The affected headteachers hail from Kagango Mixed, where 59% of the candidates failed; Kikamulo C/U, with a 50% failure rate; Butiikwa Primary School, recording a 33% failure rate; and Magoma Orthodoxy Primary, where 16% of the candidates registered for PLE at the school failed.
Ignatius Koomu, the LC 5 Chairman of Nakaseke district, elucidated that headteachers from 15 underperforming schools were summoned to the district headquarters and tasked with explaining why their candidates fared poorly in PLE. Koomu added that some headteachers defended themselves, citing their new tenure in the schools, while others attributed the issue to understaffing, accommodation, and other factors.
However, Koomu asserted that four of the fifteen headteachers failed to provide satisfactory explanations for their poor performance. Consequently, he directed the education department to demote them in accordance with the council resolution. In 2016, the district council passed a resolution stating that a headteacher of a school where over 10% of candidates fail PLE should be demoted to a classroom teacher.
Koomu stated that the demoted headteachers have been transferred to better-performing schools as classroom teachers to observe and learn management strategies. He emphasized that the remaining headteachers were cautioned and instructed to ensure better performance this year or face demotion.
Subsequently, the district has appointed caretaker headteachers in the four affected schools. Koomu reiterated that the examination papers of the 52 primary seven teachers in the worst-performing schools, conducted last week to assess their competency, are currently being marked. Results will be submitted to him by the end of the week for analysis, and appropriate action will be taken.
Koomu affirmed his commitment to enhancing education standards despite criticism from the State Minister for Primary Education, Members of Parliament, and other officials. Richard Mavuma, the District Secretary of Education, affirmed that the initiative aims to enhance education and ensure that both teachers and headteachers fulfill their roles effectively.
Attempts to interview several headteachers regarding the district’s resolution to demote non-performers were unsuccessful on Friday. The District Education Officer and Inspectors declined to comment and referred inquiries to the LC 5 Chairman.
Chairpersons of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) expressed mixed reactions to the district’s decision. Peter Yiga, the Chairperson of the PTA at Namasuba Primary School, highlighted challenges faced by headteachers and teachers, such as accommodation and understaffing, which must be addressed before individual accountability is enforced.
Wamala Suuna, the Chairperson of PTA Lukyamuzi UMEA primary school, attributed poor performance to the promotion of weak learners. Aloysious Musoke, the Chairman of the School Management Committee at Buggala Primary School, commended Koomu’s efforts, noting a significant improvement in some schools since the decision to demote non-performing headteachers.
On Friday, the District awarded certificates of appreciation to ten schools that performed well in the Primary Leaving Examinations. The Best UPE Schools included Kyalusesa, Kyakayonga, St Kizito Lwetunga, Lujjumbi, Kiribwa, Kaloki, Mpunge, Bukalabi, Kiruli, and Kinoni Primary School. According to the PLE results for Nakaseke district, 604 candidates (12.9%) attained the first division, 2,706 candidates (57.9%) secured the second division, 728 candidates (15.6%) achieved the third division, and 361 candidates (7.7%) were in Division four. The results also indicate that 276 candidates (5.6%) failed, and 138 candidates (2.9%) out of 4813 registered did not sit the examinations in 2023.
