What is National Assessment?
National Assessment refers to an assessment done at the national level. National
assessment carried out on the education system refers to the assessment of the
performance of the whole education system of a country. It is meant to determine
the achievement levels of learners on the curriculum over a period of time.
In
Uganda this kind of national assessment of the performance of the education system
is called National Assessment of Progress in Education (NAPE)
Why NAPE in Uganda?
Conscious of the need to obtain information on what learners actually learn in
school, many countries now operate what are variously called national assessments,
system assessments, learning assessments, or assessment of learning outcomes
(Greaney & Kellaghan, 1996). In Uganda the Education Policy Review Commission
(1989), reported lack of reliable and up-to-date data on educational indicators. The
only assessment information that was used for monitoring and evaluation was based
on public examinations such as Primary Leaving Examination (PLE), the Uganda
Certificate of Education (UCE) examination results. However, public examinations
are done only at the end of a cycle of education and are designed to serve primarily
as instruments for certification and selection of learners into institutions of higher
learning.
Uganda currently has a special interest in monitoring the performance of learners in
its education system, particularly at the primary and secondary levels for two
reasons. First, Uganda spends an appreciable amount of resources on education,
considering it to be the key to success and development. Second, many reforms
have been introduced in the system and there is need to assess their performance
and impact. One major reform is the introduction of Universal Primary Education
(UPE), which led to a growth in primary education enrolment from 2.3 million to 6.5
million pupils between 1996 and 1999 (Ministry of Education and Sports, 1999 p.
xv). National Assessment of Progress in Education (NAPE) was established in the
system to determine the educational standards, as reflected by the achievement
levels of pupils/students and hence monitor the changes in standards over time.
NAPE at the Primary Education Level
The first NAPE survey in Uganda was carried out in 1996, when the achievement of
primary three (grade 3 or P 3) and P 6 pupils and their teachers were assessed in
English and Mathematics [Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), 1997].
Since then, seven more assessments have been done in the same classes covering
Numeracy and Literacy in English.
NAPE findings (NAPE 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008) indicate that
immediately after UPE, there was a decline in the quality of education, as shown by
pupils’ low mean scores as well as the low proportions of pupils achieving the
desired proficiency levels. Nevertheless, the trend has generally reversed, as over
the years relatively more pupils are reaching the required ratings. The findings also
reveal certain variables which affect pupils’ achievement.
Among them, is the
pupils’ age, in which the younger children were reported to have performed better
than the older ones. These findings guide the formulation of policy aimed at raising
the quality of education.
NAPE at the Secondary Education Level
In the year 2007, the government declared Universal Secondary Education (USE)
starting with senior one students. Just like it was for UPE, it is necessary to monitor
the effects of such a big reform on student achievement. At the education Sector
Review (ESR) workshop held in Hotel Africana, October 2006, it was agreed that
UNEB would conduct assessments in senior two to determine the student
2
achievement levels in English Language, Mathematics and one science subject –
UNEB chose Biology.
Objectives of NAPE
The main objectives of NAPE are:
(a)
Generate comprehensive information on what students know and can do
in various curricular areas.
(b)
Evaluate the effectiveness of reforms that get introduced into the
education system.
(c)
Provide guidelines for the improvement of instruction and learning.
(d)
Provide guidelines on variables that affect learning achievement.
(e)
Provide data that can be used in planning and research.
The main aim of NAPE is to have an objective means of monitoring changes in
learners’ educational achievement at the national level.
In order to achieve this aim, NAPE carries out annual assessment (testing) of
national samples in the third and sixth grade levels of primary education and senior
two at the secondary education level. In addition to tests, NAPE collects information
about the context in which learning occurs, such as information about
pupils’/students’ homes and schools from the pupils’/students’ themselves, teachers,
school heads and parents.
Such information is correlated with the achievement
results in order to determine the variables, which associate with pupils’/students’
performance.
3
A comparison between NAPE and Pubic Examination (e.g. PLE/UCE)
NAPE
Public Examinations
Chief purpose is to monitor the
Primarily a tool for selection to a higher
educational progress of a cohort of
level of education.
learners.
Emphasis is on how much experience
Scores mainly provide information on the
learners have gained and are capable of
relative performance of pupils.
gaining in relation to the objectives of the
curriculum.
Uses Criterion Referenced Tests.
Uses Norm Referenced Tests.
Data is collected at aggregate level.
Data is collected at the individual level.
Administered to a sample of learners in
Done by the learners in the final year of
the class(es) of interest e.g. P 3, P 6, S
the education cycle – P7 and S.4
2in Uganda.
Collects demographic, curricular and
Does not collect background information.
instructional information, which could
explain patterns of achievement.
Statistical analysis of performance is
Because of tight schedule of work, time
carried out in detail, and used together
does not allow timely detailed analyses.
with scorers’ reports
Depends mainly on reports of examiners’
impressions.
4
THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL
PUPILS IN UGANDA IN
NUMERACY AND LITERACY IN ENGLISH
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
OF
REPORT OF THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF PROGRESS IN EDUCATION
© 2005 UGANDA NATIONAL EXAMINATIONS BOARD
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.0
INTRODUCTION
Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) carries out National
Assessment of Progress in Education (NAPE) every year. This volume is a
report on the assessment of pupils’ achievement in English Literacy and
Numeracy which was conducted in July 2005. The main objectives of the
assessments are given below.
2.0
OBJECTIVES OF THE 2005 NATIONAL ASSESSMENT
Pg 7
The specific objectives of the 2005 national assessments are to:
· Determine the overall level of achievement of Primary three (P 3) and
Primary six (P.6) pupils in English Literacy and Numeracy.
· Examine the patterns of pupils’ performance in the various sub-skill areas
of English Literacy and in different Numerical skills.
· Examine the relationships between pupils’ achievements and
- Pupils’ gender
- Pupils’ age
- School location (urban, peri-urban, rural)
- Geographical regions and zones of the country.
· Compare the trends in the levels of achievement of pupils over the years
(1999-2005)
3.0
SURVEY PROCEDURES
3.1
Pg. 8
INSTRUMENTS
Tests of English Literacy and Numeracy were both administered to P.3 and
P.6 pupils. The tests covered the major skill areas of Literacy and Numeracy.
3.2
Pg. 11
SAMPLING
The sample consisted of 300 schools randomly selected from all districts in
Uganda. From each school 20 pupils from each class (P 3 & P 6) were
randomly selected. Hence, the total number of pupils selected for each class
was 6000.
2
4.0
FINDINGS
4.1
OVERALL LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENT
Overall, 38% of the P 3 pupils and 30% of the P 6 pupils reached the defined
competency levels in Literacy. Figures for Numeracy were 41% and 33% for
P 3 and P 6 pupils respectively.
4.2
Pg 26, 41
57, 73
ACHIEVEMENT BY GENDER
At P 3, 37% and 40% of boys and girls respectively were rated proficient in Pg 26, 41
57, 73
Literacy. The respective figures for Numeracy were 46% and 44%. The
mean score in Literacy was 37% for both boys and girls. In Numeracy, the
means were 39% and 37% for boys and girls respectively. These differences
in the performance of boys and girls were negligible.
At P 6, slightly more boys (32%) than girls (28%) obtained the desired rating
in Literacy. However the boys’ mean score of 31% was nearly the same as
that of the girls of 30%. The slight difference could have been due to the
boys’ relatively good performance in reading and interpreting graphical
information. In Numeracy, the P 6 boys performed significantly better than
their female counterparts. A higher proportion of boys (39%) than girls
(27%) had the desired rating. Moreover their mean score, 36%, was
significantly higher than that of the girls of 31%.
4.3
Pg 27, 43
58, 74
ACHIEVEMENT BY AGE
The findings of all the NAPE assessments have so far shown a decline in
pupils’ achievement with increase in their age, especially at P 6. On
examining the achievement in Numeracy of the P 6 boys and girls aged
between 10 to 14 years, the 11-year olds were found to perform best. The
respective percentages of the 11 – year old boys and girls rated proficient
were 58% and 47%. The figures for the 14 – year olds, who performed at the
lowest level, were 34% and 23% of boys and girls respectively. A similar
trend occurred in the performance in Literacy.
Pg 29, 44
4.4 ACHIEVEMENT BY SCHOOL LOCATION
60, 76
Disparities in the achievement of pupils from urban and rural areas were
significant in all cases. At P 3 57% of urban pupils were considered
competent in Literacy compared to 32% of those from the rural areas.
Furthermore, though 55% of the boys and 60% of the girls from the urban
areas were rated proficient in Literacy at P 3, only 31% and 33% of the rural
boys and girls respectively had similar rating.
3
In Numeracy at P 3, 55% of the urban pupils attained the desired rating and
41% of their counterparts in rural schools did so. Gender analysis showed
that 55% of each of boys and girls from urban centers were proficient
compared to 41% of the boys and 40% of the girls from the rural areas.
At P 6: 60% of the urban pupils as opposed to 21% were deemed competent
in Literacy and 52% against 28% in Numeracy. The proportions for the urban
boys and girls with the desired rating in Literacy were 63% and 57%.
Corresponding figures for boys and girls from the rural areas were 23% and
19%. In Numeracy, 60% of the boys from the urban areas were deemed
proficient, as opposed to 46% of the girls from the same setting. The
proportions of those considered proficient in the rural areas were 34% and
21% of boys and girls respectively.
4.5
Pg 31, 46
61, 78
ACHIEVEMENT BY ZONE
In almost all the zones, for both classes, the percentage of pupils rated
proficient in Literacy was nearly the same as for Numeracy. The exceptions
were Far West and South West for both P 3 and P 6; and Mid West for P 3.
In these zones, the proportions of pupils with the desired rating in Numeracy
was higher than for Literacy. At both P 3 and P 6, the majority of pupils from
Kampala attained the desired rating. However more of the pupils in Kampala
were rated proficient in Literacy (95% at P 3 and 88% at P 6) than in
Numeracy (93% and 73% of P 3 and P 6 respectively). Among the remaining
zones, South West which was the next best zone at P 3, had 75% of the pupils
proficient in Literacy. A slightly bigger proportion, 88% had a similar rating
in Numeracy. However, the proportions for P 6 were less: 41% and 55% for
Literacy and Numeracy respectively. Within a zone, the patterns of
achievement of P 3 pupils were generally similar to that of the P 6 pupils.
Notable exceptions occurred in Central 1, Central III and South West, where
the performance of P 3 pupils was better than that of P 6.
4.6
ACHIEVEMENT IN SKILL AREAS
4.6.1
LITERACY
Pg 34, 65
There were variations in the performance of pupils in the different skill areas
of a subject. At P 3, 79% of both boys and girls were rated proficient in
picture reading. This percentage dropped to only 30% for story reading. The
pattern was similar at P 6: whereas 76% of boys and 74% of girls had the
desired scores in reading an advertisement, only 42% and 40% of boys and
girls respectively attained such scores in reading a prose story. Achievements
of P 6 pupils indicate that most pupils reach P 6 before they have mastered
skills in reading.
4
4.7.2
Pg 49, 81
NUMERACY
Both classes did better in number related topics. However, although as many
as 72% of the P 3 pupils were rated proficient in Geometry, just 28% had a
similar rating at P.6. Likewise, 38% of the pupils in P 3 had the desired
rating in fractions, but the figure dropped to 14% at P.6. In measures
In number operations, pupils did better in addition and subtraction than
multiplication and division. At P 3, 53% of boys and 49% of girls were rated
proficient in each of addition and subtraction. In multiplication and division,
the figures were: 53% and 50% and 49% and 43% for boys and girls
respectively. At P 6, the majority of pupils demonstrated competence in tasks
involving addition and it was the best done: 84% and 76% of boys and girls
were proficient in it. The proportions for subtraction reduced to 67% and
54% respectively for boys and girls. Figures for multiplication were lower:
respective proportions of boys and girls were 58% and 46%, and just 29% and
20% for division.
There was a general drop in both classes in the percentage of pupils rated
proficient in moving from tasks which demanded knowledge of concepts to
conceptual understanding and then problem solving. While at P 3, over
eighty percent: 85% boys and 82% girls, were proficient in questions which
demanded knowledge of concepts, the figure for conceptual understanding
were 40% and 37%, and problem solving 18% and 15% of boys and girls
respectively. The performance of the P 6 pupils followed similar trends, with
64% and 52% of boys and girls respectively being rated proficient in tasks
which demanded conceptual knowledge. However the respective figures for
conceptual understanding were 58% and 44; and merely 8% and 5% for
problem solving.
5
6
THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL
PUPILS IN UGANDA IN
NUMERACY AND LITERACY IN ENGLISH
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
OF
REPORT OF THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF PROGRESS IN EDUCATION
© 2006 UGANDA NATIONAL EXAMINATIONS BOARD
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.0
INTRODUCTION
Despite the best efforts of government, parents and teachers, a significant proportion of
pupils are not yet developing the desired Literacy and Numeracy skills. It is this which urges
Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) to carry out National Assessment of Progress
in Education every year. This volume is a report on the assessment of pupils’ achievement in
Numeracy, Literacy in English and Literacy in selected local languages (Ateso, Lango,
Luganda and Runyankore) which was conducted in July 2006. The main objectives of the
assessments are presented here below.
2.0
OBJECTIVES OF THE 2006 NAPE STUDY
The specific objectives of the 2006 national assessment were to:
 Determine the overall level of achievement of P 3 and P 6 pupils in English Literacy
and Numeracy.
 Determine the level of achievement of P 3 pupils in Literacy in Local Languages.
 Examine patterns of performance in skill and topical areas of Literacy in English and
Local languages, and Numeracy.
 Examine relationships between achievements and pupils’ gender and age, school
location (urban or Rural), school ownership (government or private), school type (day,
boarding, or day and boarding) and zones of the country.
 Examine the impact of HIV and AIDS on the learning process in primary schools.
 Compare achievements of P 3 and P 6 pupils in English Literacy and Numeracy
between the years 1999 and 2006.
 Assess the effect of school environment, and characteristics of headteachers, teachers,
parents and pupils on the learning achievement of pupils.
3.0
SURVEY PROCEDURES
3.1 INSTRUMENTS
Written tests were administered to P 3 and P 6 pupils in Numeracy and English Literacy. A
similar literacy test in the selected local languages was administered to P 3 pupils. The tests
covered major skill areas of Literacy and Numeracy. In addition, other instruments like the
school observation guide, focus group guides and individual questionnaires were used to
capture contextual aspects of the teaching-learning environment.
3.2
SAMPLING
The sample of 405 primary schools was randomly and proportionately selected from all
districts of Uganda. Twenty pupils were randomly selected from each class (P 3 and P 6) in
every school in the sample.
2
3.3
FINDINGS
3.3.1 Achievement in Literacy in English, Literacy in selected Local Languages and
Numeracy.
At P 3 and P 6, 45.6% and 33.5% of the pupils reached the desired level of proficiency in
Literacy in English, respectively. No significant gender difference was evident in the
performance of pupils in Literacy in English in both classes.
Kampala and South West zones had nearly all of their pupils reaching the desired proficiency
level, but small proportions of pupils were rated proficient in the Northern and Far Eastern
zones. Gender differences were generally small in each zone.
Overall, P 3 pupils exhibited weakness in story reading, picture writing and parts of speech.
At P 6, many pupils found difficulty in story reading, story writing and letter writing.
Literacy in Selected Local Languages
Four local languages were tested at P 3: Ateso, Lango, Luganda and Runyakore.
Literacy in Runyankore had the highest overall proportion of pupils rated proficient.
Literacy in Ateso was the most poorly done with less than a tenth of the pupils rated
proficient.
The performance in local languages, however, correlated highly with the performance in
Literacy in English.
Numeracy
Overall, 42.5% and 30.5% of P 3 and P 6 pupils attained the respective desired proficiency
level in Numeracy. At P 3, there was an insignificant difference in the proportions of the
boys and girls with the desired rating. At P 6, though, gender disparity was explicit: more
boys (34.4%) obtained the desired rating as compared to 26.8% of the girls with a similar
rating.
Regarding pupils’ performance across zones, South West zone had the highest number
(87.6%) of P 3 pupils reaching the desired proficiency level, while Kampala came second
with (85.7%). The situation was similar at P 6 as well.
To examine achievement in skill areas in Numeracy, skills tested included conceptual
knowledge, conceptual understanding and problem solving. At P 3,
60.5% of the pupils demonstrated competence in tasks that required conceptual knowledge,
and problem solving was ranked last. At P 6 only 42.1% showed competence in conceptual
knowledge and a mere 26.3% demonstrated competence in problem solving. Wider gender
differences were evident across the numeric skill areas tested at P 6. Exploring the sub-skill
areas of Numeracy, P 3 pupils showed best performance in graphs and their interpretation. At
P 6 the best performance was revealed in Operation on numbers. Worst performance was
exhibited in the sub-skill area of Geometry and measures in both classes.
3.3.2 Achievement by School Learning Environment
Availability of Latrines
Nearly all (96.2%) schools had latrines. Significantly higher proportions of P 3 and P 6
pupils in schools with latrines were rated proficient as opposed to those without latrines in
their schools.
3
School Atmosphere
There was a general decrease in the percentage of pupils rated proficient as the relationships
in the school changed from friendly to sombre and then hostile especially for teacher-pupils
relationship. On the matter of flow of school activities, there was a decrease in the
proportions of pupils with the desired rating from schools with great orderliness to those with
lower level of orderliness.
Physical Structures and Classroom Conditions
In P 3 there was worse performance as the physical structure of the classroom deteriorated.
As regards furniture, there was a positive correlation between the quantity of furniture in the
classroom and the performance of the pupils.
Classroom Cleanliness and Pupil’s Appearance
The respective percentages of P 3 and P 6 pupils with clean classrooms who were rated
proficient were higher than the proportions those whose classrooms were dirty. Besides,
higher percentages of pupils who were clean reached the desired competency level as
opposed to those who appeared dirty especially at P 3.
School Requirements
The performance level of the pupils who had the required writing materials and other school
requirements was better than for pupils in classes where 10% or more members had no
books.
3.3.3 Trends in Achievement
Comparison in achievement levels of P 3 and P 6 pupils in Literacy in English and Numeracy
between the years 1999 and 2006 were examined by pupils’ gender, age, school location and
zone.
General Trend
Overall, at P 3 there exists an uninterrupted upward trend in the proportion of pupils attaining
the desired competence in Literacy in English from 18% in 1999 to 46% in 2006. In
Numeracy at P 3 there is neither up nor down trend in the proportion reaching the desired
proficiency level. However, for P 6 we have an uninterrupted upward trend for Literacy in
English but in Numeracy we have a downward trend in the proportion of pupils attaining the
desired competence.
Trend by Gender
At P 3 the gap between the proportions of boys and girls reaching the desired level of
competence in Literacy in English and Numeracy has remained insignificant. At P 6 gender
disparity in Literacy in English has continued to diminish. In Numeracy however, the gender
disparity still exists although it is reducing.
Trend by School Location
At P 3 and P 6, the difference in the proportion of pupils rated proficient in both Literacy in
English and Numeracy with respect to whether a school is rural or urban remains
significantly large.
4
3.3.4 Teaching Process and School Management Factors
Headteachers and Teachers’ Gender
Of the 402 headteachers who were interviewed, 81.3% were male and 18.7% female. In both
P 3 and P 6, higher proportions of pupils in schools with female headteachers reached the
desired rating in comparison to those with male headteachers.
A total of 1503 teachers were interviewed. At P 6, however, 85.0% of the teachers were male
and only 15.0% were female. At P 3, 39.2% of the male teachers taught Literacy compared to
60.8% who taught Numeracy in the same class. The majority, about three quarters of the P 6
female teachers taught Literacy and only a quarter were teaching Numeracy. The findings
indicate that there was a difference in performance between the pupils who were taught by
male and female teachers, with the latter doing better.
Headteacher’s and Teacher’s Professional Qualification
Most (62.3%) of the headteachers had Grade V teaching qualification. Holders of university
degree constituted 20.5% and 16.0% had Grade III teaching certificates, with only two
headteachers with Grade II and three Grade IV holders. It is important to note that there was
not much difference between the performance of pupils whose headteachers had Grade III
certificates and those whose headteachers who had university degrees, however, smaller
numbers of pupils from schools with Grade V heads attained the defined competency levels.
The majority of teachers were holders of Grade III teaching certificate. The next largest
number was the Grade V holders. In both P 3 and P 6, the mean scores of the pupils with
Grade V teachers were higher than for those whose teachers had Grade III teaching
qualification.
Teacher’s Experience and Tenure
As teachers’ experience increased the mean scores of P 3 and P 6 pupils in both Literacy and
Numeracy slightly decreased, which was also true as the teachers’ tenure increased.
3.3.5 Pupil and Parent Factors
In each school, P 6 pupils had a focused-group discussion guided by one of the test
administrators, and their responses were on the following:
Pupils’ responses about School
Pupils from 51% of the 401 schools stated that they liked the teaching and learning at their
school. Secondly, 19% of the P 6 pupils indicated they were happy with the general social
environment in the school. On the other hand, 39% of the pupils were most upset about the
non-conducive social environment in the school. They cited elements of un-conducive social
environment as punishment/caning, drinking alcohol/fighting/disobedience, theft and sexual
immorality.
Pupils’ Responses about Learning
When asked why they liked English, the majority of the P 6 pupils, considered English to be
useful in communication and in enabling them to understand other school subjects among
others, a view also held by parents in most of the schools.
However, in many of the schools, the pupils who disliked English did so because they found
it difficult to understand, speak, read and write.
5
In the case of Mathematics, many pupils regarded Mathematics as being useful for solving
everyday problems, as a key subject in their studies at present and for further studies. To
most parents, Mathematics trains children in the skills which they need for planning,
budgeting, record keeping and accounting. The reason most frequently given for disliking
Mathematics was its hard and demanding nature.
Job Aspirations of Pupils
Both pupils and their parents chose mainly two jobs: teaching and human medicine.
Interestingly, only 1% of the parents as well as their children preferred farming. It is
important to note that parents of 51.9% of the schools were certain that their children are
working hard towards the realization of parents’ expectations.
However, they suggested need for improvement mainly in school management,
administration and supervision as well as improvement in the relationship and collaboration
between the school and the community.
3.3.6 HIV/AIDS
Most of the P 6 pupils interviewed mentioned that they had ever received messages about
HIV/AIDS from school, and indicated teachers as their main source of information on
HIV/AIDS.
On the whole, teachers felt that HIV/AIDS adversely influenced pupils’ school attendance. In
addition, teachers stated that market days and cultural rites were the activities which kept
children away from school the most.
6
7
THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL
PUPILS IN UGANDA IN
NUMERACY AND LITERACY IN ENGLISH
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
OF
REPORT OF THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF PROGRESS IN EDUCATION
© 2007 UGANDA NATIONAL EXAMINATIONS BOARD
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The main aim of NAPE is to determine pupils’ learning achievement level. This is
a report on P 3 and P 6 pupils’ achievement in Numeracy, Literacy in English and
Oral Reading. The specific objectives, among others, were to:
Sec. 1.5
Pg 11
(a) Determine the overall level of achievement of P 3 and P 6 pupils in English
Literacy, Numeracy and Oral reading.
(b) Examine patterns of pupils’ performance in various sub-skill areas of English
Literacy and numerical skills.
(c) Examine the relationships between pupils’ achievements and pupils’ gender
and age, school location and ownership, and zones of the country.
(d) Compare trends in the levels of achievement of pupils over the years (20032007)
Sec 2.3.4
Pg 19
Sample
The total sample consisted of 405 primary schools randomly selected from all the
districts in Uganda. Five of them were Schools for the Deaf.
Overall Level of Achievement
Primary Three
At P 3, nearly equal proportions of pupils reached the desired ratings in the two
subjects: 45.5% and 44.7% in Literacy in English and Numeracy respectively.
This means that not many of the pupils in P 3 and P 6 have mastered the concepts
and skills spelt out for their classes in the national curriculum. The correlations
between the performance of the pupils in the two subjects (0.79) was high. In
other words, pupils who do well in Numeracy also tend to do well in Literacy in
English and vice versa, implying that the main skills which pupils (in lower
primary) learn in the two subjects may be closely related. In Oral Reading, just
over a third of the P 3 pupils reached the desired levels of competency. Many of
them could read or recognize the words ‘book’ and ‘school’. However, they found
the words ‘cupboard’, ‘friend’ and ‘dance’ difficult to read. Maybe P 3 pupils are
not taught how to read.
2
Sec 3.4
Pg 33
Sec 4.4
Pg 49
Sec 5.4
Pg 63
Sec 9.2
Pg 122
Primary Six
In P 6, pupils performed significantly better in Literacy in English than in Numeracy. Perhaps
the policy of putting books into the hands of pupils is partly responsible for the better
performance in Literacy in English. For Numeracy, some teachers may not be competent in
the subject or may lack the appropriate skills to teach it. There was a high correlation between
the performance of the P 6 pupils in Literacy in English and Numeracy, implying that when a
pupil is good in Literacy he/she is likely to be good in Numeracy as well and vice versa.
Maybe pupils who have acquired reading skills are more able to read and interpret the
problems in Numeracy. In addition, pupils who are gifted could be capable of excelling in all
the subjects they learn. The majority of the P 6 pupils were rated proficient in Oral Reading.
They could correctly read words such as ‘beautiful’, ‘arrest’, and ‘know’. However, they had
difficulty reading the words ‘engage’, tongue’ and ‘advertisement’. In sentences and story
reading, most pupils could read expressively and confidently.
Correlations between Performance at P 3 and P 6
Sec 6.4
Pg 78
Sec 7.4
Pg 93
Sec 8.4
Pg 109
Sec 9.2
Pg 122
Sec 9.2
Pg 122
The performance of P 3 pupils correlated highly with the performance of P 6 pupils in a
particular subject area. This means that a school which performs well in a particular subject at
P 3 has a tendency of doing likewise at P 6. Probably when a firm foundation has been laid in
P 3, pupils are better prepared to learn the more complex concepts introduced in P 6.
Achievement in Skill Areas of Numeracy and Literacy in English
In Numeracy in both P 3 and P 6 classes, pupils registered best performance in tasks which Pg 43, 87
required ability to recall already learnt concepts. The worst done area was problem solving.
Could it be that the teaching of Numeracy in primary schools does not promote the
development of thinking skills? Do teachers teach in a manner that enables pupils to
recognize the application of Numeracy in real life situations? Pupils in both classes
demonstrated competence in dealing with tasks in number system and place value. This could
probably be due to the numerous circumstances, in homes and at school, in which children
have to count objects. With time, children learn, not only to count mentally, but to recognize
and even write numbers.
Pg 58, 103
Literacy in English
In Literacy in English, pupils in the two classes exhibited competence in reading tabular
information.
Nevertheless, both classes experienced difficulties in reading and
comprehending stories in prose form. Possibly since it is time consuming to write stories,
teachers who do not have enough readers. In writing, pupils in the two classes could ably do
the structured forms of writing such as guided composition and letter writing, but only a few
showed that they were able to write complete sentences with the correct punctuation and
spelling. Is this a result of inadequate practice by the pupils, as it is not easy for the teachers
Pg 123
to mark composition?
Trends in the Overall Level of Achievement
Between the years 2003 and 2007, the achievement levels of P 3 and P 6 pupils generally
showed improvements. There was, however, more improvement in pupils’ performance at P 6
than P 3 and in Literacy in English than Numeracy. In Oral Reading, both classes performed
at a higher level in 2007 than 2003, when it was last assessed. These improvements in the Pg 124
achievement of pupils could be partly due to the reduction in the average pupil: teacher and
3
pupil: textbook ratio as well as to the policy of putting books into the hands of children.
Achievement by Gender
Although since 2003 more boys than girls have been considered proficient in Numeracy at
P 6, the gap has narrowed slightly from 2006. This could be a result of the various strategies
in Uganda aimed at closing the gender gap at all levels.
Pg 36, 52,
16, 81, 96,
111
Achievement by School Location
Pupils in urban schools still perform better than those in rural schools in both classes and both
subjects. The urban-rural disparity in performance was greater at P 6 in comparison to P 3 and
in Literacy compared to Numeracy in both P 3 and P 6. At P 3, the difference in the Pg 40, 56,
70, 84, 99,
performance between rural and urban schools was greater for the boys, the reverse occurred at
115
P 6. Could it be that P 3 boys in some rural areas get involved in activities like herding cattle
and scaring birds from crops and end up missing some lessons? Conversely at P 6, the girls
are old enough to help their parents with domestic chores. This may not allow them sufficient
time to do their school work.
Achievement by Zone
Pg 135
Over the years, South West Zone has shown tremendous improvement in its performance in
the two subjects at both class levels. Other zones which have had a substantial increase in the
proportions of their pupils rated proficient are Far West and Central II. The Mid North I and
II and Far East zones, which have suffered as a result of a 20-year war, still have only a few of Pg 144
their pupils reaching the desired proficiency levels in both Numeracy and Literacy in English.
However, over the years, there have been increases in the proportions of pupils rated
proficient in these zones.
Pupils’ Learning Environment
Most of the pupils said they liked the teaching–learning process in their schools. But disliked
the non-conducive social environment owing to canning, sexual harassment, among others. A
few were unhappy about poor/dirty latrines and lack of parental support.
Pupils School Attendance and Achievement
About 90% of the schools had enrolment figures that were significantly larger than the
numbers of pupils in the two classes that were present on the day the survey was conducted.
Could this be due to drop out, absenteeism or inflation of the figures by the school?
Correlation coefficients between pupil achievement and attendance rates at
P 3 and P 6 were small and negative. The negative sign indicates that low attendance rates of
pupils lead to poor achievements.
The performance of P 3 pupils also correlated highly with the performance of P 6 pupils in a
particular subject area. This means that a school which performs well in a particular subject at
P 3 has a tendency of doing likewise at P 6. Probably when a firm foundation has been laid in
P 3, pupils are better prepared to learn the more complex concepts introduced in P 6.
4
RECOMMENDATIONS
Policy Makers and Education Administrators
Enforce the implementation of measures to have children attend school regularly and arrive
early each time.
Ensure that schools pay attention to the teaching of Numeracy and Literacy and pay a lot of
emphasis on reading.
Teachers
Avoid being absent from school during class time.
Use reading lessons appropriately.
Teach pupils how to read.
Headteachers
Devise strategies to enable all pupils in school acquire reading skills and develop interest in
reading.
Parents
Provide mid-day meals and materials for the children.
Allow children time and space to read.
Curriculum Developers
Ensure that every school has copies of the curriculum. Train teachers and teacher educators
on how to use/interpret the curriculum. Use feedback from assessments in developing and
revising the curriculum
Teacher Educators
Train teachers in the interpretation of the curriculum.
Demonstrate model lessons, with a focus on developing reading skills and problem solving or
higher order thinking skills.
Inspectors
Ensure compliance to national policies and curriculum objectives.
Ensure that teachers plan their lessons and use appropriate teaching methodology.
Assessment personnel
Continue to assess pupil achievement, and report pupil performance in different skill and
sub-skill areas.
Disseminate feedback on pupil achievement to all stakeholders.
5
6
THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL
PUPILS IN UGANDA IN
NUMERACY AND LITERACY IN ENGLISH
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
OF
REPORT OF THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF PROGRESS IN EDUCATION
© 2008 UGANDA NATIONAL EXAMINATIONS BOARD
1.0
INTRODUCTION
Many countries, the world over, conduct national assessment, also referred to as systems
assessment. The main aim is to determine what learners do and can do in key curricular
areas. Over the years, trends in the national achievement levels can be monitored, so as to
ascertain whether standards are constant, improving or declining.
In Uganda, the first national assessment, known as National Assessment of Progress in
Education (NAPE) was conducted in the year 1996. The results of NAPE have been
invaluably used since then. For instance, in the year 2003, the Ministry of Education and
Sports organized a workshop for about 500 key stakeholders from all over the country. At
the workshop, the revelation from NAPE findings served as an eye opener to the low levels
of pupil achievement in Literacy and Numeracy. Consequently the Ministry, jointly with
development partners came up with interventions, which could raise the standards of pupil
learning. One of the interventions involved placing emphasis on Literacy and Numeracy in
the curriculum for lower primary grades, and enforcing the policy on the use of mother
tongue (local language) as a medium of instruction in these classes.
This report gives highlights of the NAPE findings in 2008.
2.0
OBJECTIVES OF THE 2008 NATIONAL ASSESSMENT
The specific objectives of the 2008 national assessments are to:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
(i)
1
Determine the overall level of achievement of Primary three (P 3) and Primary six
(P 6) pupils in English Literacy, Numeracy and Oral reading (for
P 3 only).
Compare the trends in the overall levels of achievement of pupils in Numeracy
and Literacy over the years (2003-2008).
Examine the patterns of pupils’ performance in the various sub-skill areas of
English Literacy and in different numerical skills.1
Examine the relationships between pupils’ achievements and pupils’ gender and
age; and school location (urban or rural), school ownership (government or
private), and zones of the country.
Collect information which could help to identify factors which affect
P 6 pupils’ achievement in Numeracy.
Examine the relationship between the factors in (e) and pupil achievement in
Numeracy.
Collect the views of P 6 Numeracy teachers on causes of relatively poor
performance of P 6 girls in Numeracy.
Examine the relationship between enrolment deviation and pupil’s learning
achievement of pupils.
Obtain information on school administration and inspection at the district level.
This objective is not reported on in this report.
2
3.0
SURVEY PROCEDURES
3.1
INSTRUMENTS
The instruments used are listed in table 1.
TABLE 1:
A
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
TESTS
P.3 Numeracy (written)
P.3 Literacy in English (written)
P.3 Reading (oral)
P.6 Numeracy (written)
P.6 Literacy in English (written)
B.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
QUESTIONNAIRES
School enrolment and attendance record form
P.6 Pupils questionnaire
Questionnaire for P 6 teachers of Numeracy
Interview schedule for DEOs and DISes
3.2
3.2.1
LIST OF INSTRUMENTS
SAMPLE
Schools
The distribution of schools by school location and ownership is shown in Table 2.
TABLE 2:
DISTRIBUTION OF SAMPLED SCHOOLS BY LOCATION AND OWNERSHIP.
OWNERSHIP
LOCATION Government
Private
Total
Rural
343
14
357 (84.0%)
Urban
53
15
68 (16.0%)
396 (93.2%)
29 (6.8%)
425 (100%)
Total
The total sample consisted of 425 primary schools selected from all over the country. These
included five schools for the Deaf and two for the Blind. Most (343) of the schools were
government schools, located in the rural areas.
3.2.2 Pupils
Primary three
There were 8460 P 3 pupils in the sample. Those who actually participated were 8,435, of
who 4,320 (51.2%) were boys and 4,115 (48.8%) girls. Their age range was 6 – 15 years,
but there were only three pupils aged six years. The mean age was 10.5 years: 10.7 years
and 10.3 years for boys and girls respectively.
3
Primary six
At P 6, the total number of pupils in the sample was 8493. However, the number actually
assessed was 8396. Of these, 4,146 (49.4%) were boys and 4,250 (50.6%) girls. Their
ages ranged between 9 and 20 years, though only five pupils were 9 years old. The mean
age at P 6 was 13.5 years. The boys’ mean age of 13.7 years was slightly more than the
girls’ of 13.3 years.
4.0
MAJOR FINDINGS
4.1
OVERALL LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENT
The overall levels of achievements of P 3 and P 6 pupils in Numeracy and Literacy are
presented in this section. Figure 1 shows the percentage of P 3 pupils who reached the
defined competency levels in Numeracy and Literacy.
FIGURE 1: PERCENTAGE OF P 3 PUPILS REACHING THE DEFINED
COMPETENCY LEVEL IN NUMERACY AND LITERACY BY GENDER
100
80
60
40
20
0
BOYS
GIRLS
ALL
NUMERACY
74.6
68.1
71.4
LITERACY
43.8
45.3
44.5
Nearly three quarters (71.4%) of the P 3 pupils reached the defined competency level in
Numeracy. More boys than girls reached the desired rating in Numeracy.
In Literacy in English, less than a half (44.5%) of the P 3 pupils were rated proficient, with
no significance difference in the proportions of boys and girls rated proficient.
The mean scores of the P 3 pupils in Numeracy and Literacy are shown in Table 3.
TABLE 3: MEAN SCORES OF P 3 PUPILS IN NUMERACY AND LITERACY
BOYS
GIRLS
ALL
54.2
51.1
52.7
38.1
38.3
38.2
Mean score (%) in Numeracy
Mean score (%) in Literacy
4
P 3 pupils obtained a mean of 52.7% in Numeracy, with boys scoring a slightly higher
mean. Pupils’ mean score in Literacy was much lower than that of Numeracy. However,
boys and girls got about the same mean score.
The proportions of P 6 pupils who reached the defined competency levels in Numeracy and
Literacy are shown in Figure 2
FIGURE 2: PERCENTAGE OF P 6 PUPILS REACHING THE DEFINED
COMPETENCY LEVELS IN NUMERACY AND LITERACY BY GENDER
PERCENTAGE OF PUPILS
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
BOYS
GIRLS
ALL
NUMERACY
58.8
48.4
53.5
LITERACY
47.9
47.8
47.9
At P.6, over a half (53.5%) of the pupils reached the defined competency level in
Numeracy. There was gender difference in performance, with a higher percentage (58.8%)
of boys than girls (48.4%) achieving the desired rating.
In Literacy in English, 47.9% of the P 6 pupils reached the defined competency level. About
the same proportion of boys (47.9%) and girls (47.8%) attained this level.
Table 4 gives the mean scores of P 6 pupils in Numeracy and Literacy.
TABLE 4: MEAN SCORES OF P 6 PUPILS IN NUMERACY AND LITERACY
BOYS
GIRLS
ALL
45.4
40.6
42.9
40.2
40.3
40.2
Mean score (%) in Numeracy
Mean score (%) in Literacy
The mean score of the P 6 pupils in Numeracy of 42.9% was slightly higher than the 40.2%
which they obtained in Literacy. Although the mean score of the girls in Numeracy was
lower than that of the boys, the two genders got the same mean score in Literacy.
4.2
TRENDS IN THE OVERALL LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENT OF PUPILS
In this section, we give the variation in the achievement level of P 3 and P 6 pupils between
the years 2003 and 2008. Table 5 shows the percentages of P 3 pupils who reached
5
defined competency levels in Numeracy, Literacy and Oral Reading in the years 2003 –
2008.
TABLE 5
PERCENTAGES OF P 3 PUPILS WHO REACHED DEFINED COMPETENCY
LEVELS IN NUMERACY, LITERACY AND ORAL READING: 2003 – 2008.
SUBJECT
Numeracy
Literacy
Oral Reading
2003
42.9
34.3
YEAR2
2006
42.5
45.6
2005
44.9
38.3
23.4
2007
44.7
45.5
34.6
2008
71.4
44.5
43.4
At P 3, the percentage of pupils with the desired rating rose from 42.9% in 2003 to 44.9%
in 2005. It dropped to 42.5% in 2006 and then rose slightly to 44.7% in the following year.
This year, however, the percentage rose upto 71.4%.
On the other hand, Literacy
registered improvement between the years 2003 and 2006 when the proportion of pupils
rated proficient rose from 34.3% to 45.6%. For the last three years, there has not been
any significant change in the percentage of pupils with the proficient rating in Literacy.
TABLE 6
PERCENTAGES OF P 6 PUPILS WHO REACHED DEFINED COMPETENCY
LEVELS IN NUMERACY AND LITERACY: 2003 – 2008.
SUBJECT
Numeracy
Literacy
2003
20.5
20.0
YEAR
2006
30.6
33.5
2005
33.0
30.0
2007
41.4
49.6
2008
53.5
47.9
The pattern of achievement of P 6 pupils generally shows more pupils rated proficient in
both Numeracy and Literacy in the last five years. While in 2003, just a fifth of the pupils
had the desired rating in each of the subjects, this year the figures have risen to about a
half, 53.5% for Numeracy and 47.9% for Literacy.
4.3
ACHIEVEMENT BY AGE
The variation in the levels of achievement of P 3 and P 6 pupils according to age is
described in this section. Figures 3 and 4 show the proportion of P 3 pupils rated proficient
in Numeracy and Literacy by age.
2
No assessment was done in 2004 and Oral reading was not done in 2003 and 2005
6
PERCENTAGE OF PUPILS
FIGURE 3: PERCENTAGE OF P3 PUPILS REACHING THE DEFINED COMPETENCY IN
NUMERACY BY AGE AND GENDER
100
80
60
40
20
0
7
8
9
10
11
12 and above
BOYS
72.8
72.4
72.8
71.3
75.2
77.9
GIRLS
61.1
67.3
66.9
64.6
68.6
74.3
ALL
64.9
69.3
69.4
67.9
72.0
76.5
AGE
PERCENTAGE OF PUPILS
FIGURE 4: PERCENTAGE OF P3 PUPILS REACHING THE DEFINED COMPETENCY IN
LITERACY BY AGE AND GENDER
60
40
20
0
7
8
9
10
11
12 and above
BOYS
41
56
46
41
43
43
GIRLS
54.8
52.3
49.4
42.8
41.7
44.3
ALL
50.4
53.7
48.5
41.9
42.4
43.4
AGE
At P 3, in Numeracy there was a small increase in the proportion of pupils rated proficient
with increase in age, rising from 64.9% of the 7 year olds to 76.5% for the pupils aged 12
years and above. However in Literacy, the reverse trend occurred. While 50.4% of the 7year old pupils were rated proficient, 43.4% of those aged 12 years and above had a similar
rating.
The percentages of the P 6 pupils of different ages who were rated proficient in Numeracy
and Literacy are given in Figures 5 and 6.
7
FIGURE5: PERCENTAGE OF P 6 PULIS REACHING THE DEFINED LEVEL OF
COMPETENCY IN NUMERACY BY AGE AND GENDER
PERCENTAGE OF PUPILS
100
80
60
40
20
0
10
11
12
13
14
15
16 and
above
BOYS
70.0
78.1
63.0
60.2
53.9
57.9
55.9
GIRLS
54.1
69.9
51.5
49.4
44.2
41.7
43.0
ALL
59.8
72.9
56.6
54.2
48.9
50.8
52.0
PERCENTAGE OF PUPILS
FIGURE 6: PERCENTAGE OF P6 PUPILS REACHING THE DEFINED
COMPETENCY IN LITERACY BY AGE AND GENDER
100
80
60
40
20
0
10
11
12
13
14
15
16 and
above
BOYS
69.6
80.0
62.9
52.3
41.1
36.9
35.1
GIRLS
77.3
77.1
58.0
49.6
40.7
32.2
31.2
ALL
74.5
78.2
60.2
50.8
40.9
34.9
34.0
AGE
For both Numeracy and Literacy, the percentage of pupils with the desired proficiency levels
rose between ages 10 and 11 years and then from age 11 years it dropped; with a bigger
drop occurring in Literacy than Numeracy.
4.4
ACHIEVEMENT BY SCHOOL LOCATION
The results of the achievement of P 3 and P 6 pupils from schools in urban and rural areas
are presented in this section. Figures 7 shows the proportions of P 3 pupils in schools of
different locations rated proficient in Numeracy and Literacy.
8
PERCENTAGE OF PUPILS
FIGURE 7: PERCENTAGE OF P 3 PUPILS REACHING
THE DEFINED COMPETENCY LEVELS IN NUMERACY
AND LITERACY BY SCHOOL LOCATION AND GENDER
100
80
60
40
20
0
BOYS
GIRLS
ALL
BOYS
NUMERACY
GIRLS
ALL
LITERACY
URBAN
88.6
79.0
84.0
69.9
70.2
70.0
RURAL
71.1
65.5
68.3
37.3
39.3
38.2
P 3 pupils in urban schools performed better than their counterparts in schools in the rural
areas. In Numeracy 84.0% of the pupils in urban setting were proficient, compared to
68.3% of those in rural area. Figures for Literacy were 70.0% and 38.2% for pupils in
urban and rural schools respectively. The difference in the performance of the two groups
of pupils was therefore greater in Literacy than Numeracy. However boys and girls in a
particular location performed at about the same level in Literacy, but more boys had the
desired rating in Numeracy, with the greater gender difference occurring between pupils in
urban schools.
Figure 8 gives the percentages of P 6 pupils from urban and rural schools who were rated
proficient in Numeracy and Literacy.
PERCENTAGE OF PUPILS
FIGURE 8: PERCENTAGE OF P6 PUPILS REACHING THE
DEFINED COMPETENCY LEVELS IN NUMERACY AND
LITERACY BY SCHOOL LOCATION AND GENDER
100
80
60
40
20
0
BOYS
GIRLS
ALL
BOYS
NUMERACY
GIRLS
ALL
LITERACY
URBAN
76.1
66.6
71.1
78.1
75.3
76.6
RURAL
53.8
42.8
48.2
39.2
39.4
39.3
At P 6, just like at P 3, in both Numeracy and Literacy the proportion of pupils in urban
schools with the desired ratings was higher than for those in schools in the rural areas. The
9
difference was more pronounced in Literacy, where 76.6% and 39.3% of pupils in urban
and rural areas respectively reached the desired level of proficiency. This is in comparison
with the respective figures of 71.1% and 48.2% for Numeracy in urban and rural schools.
In addition, boys in both urban and rural areas did better than girls in Numeracy. It was
pleasing to note though, that boys and girls performed at the same level in Literacy.
4.5
ACHIEVEMENT BY SCHOOL OWNERSHIP
The percentages of P 3 and P 6 pupils from schools of different ownership with the desired
proficiency levels are shown in Figures 9 and 10.
PUPIL PERCENTAGE
FIGURE 9: PERCENTAGE OF P3 PUPILS REACHING THE
DEFINED COMPETENCY IN NUMERACY BY SCHOOL
OWNERSHIP
150
100
50
0
BOYS
GIRLS ALL
BOYS
NUMERACY
GIRLS ALL
LITERACY
GOVERNMENT
73.6
66.8
70.2
41.4
42.9
42.1
PRIVATE
94.4
95.3
94.8
89.4
92.8
91.0
PERCENTAGE OF PUPILS
FIGURE 10: PERCENTAGE OF P6 PUPILS REACHING THE
DEFINED LEVEL OF COMPETENCY IN NUMERACY BY
SCHOOL OWNERSHIP AND GENDER
100.0
80.0
60.0
40.0
20.0
0.0
BOYS
GIRLS ALL
BOYS
NUMERACY
GIRLS ALL
LITERACY
GOVERNMENT
56.6
45.8
51.0
45.0
45.0
45.0
PRIVATE
92.1
90.2
91.2
91.3
93.5
92.4
In both classes and subjects, the percentages of pupils in private schools who reached the
defined levels of competency were much higher than for the pupils in government schools.
For instance in Numeracy, nearly all (94.8%) of the P 3 pupils in private schools were rated
proficient, compared to 70.2% of their counterparts in government schools. In Literacy,
10
too, the proportion of P 3 pupils in private schools (92.4%) rated proficient was more than
double that of pupils in government schools (45.0%).
Moreover the proportions of P 6 boys and girls rated proficient in Numeracy in private
schools were nearly the same, whereas fewer girls than boys got the desired rating in
government schools.
4.6
ACHIEVEMENT BY ZONE
The performance of the pupils in the zones was categorized into four levels: where
Level
Level
Level
Level
Level
3 represents 75% or more pupils achieving the desired rating;
2: 50-74% of the pupils rated proficient,
1: 30-49% of the pupils rated proficient,
x: less than 30% of the pupils rated proficient.
3 is the highest and Level x the lowest.
Table 7 shows the levels reached by the various zones.
TABLE 7: ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS OF PRIMARY THREE AND SIX
PUPILS IN NUMERACY AND LITERACY BY ZONE IN 2008
PRIMARY THREE
PRIMARY SIX
ZONE
NUMERACY LITERACY
NUMERACY LITERACY
SOUTH WEST
LEVEL 3
LEVEL 3
LEVEL 3
LEVEL 3
KAMPALA
LEVEL 3
LEVEL 3
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 3
FAR WEST
LEVEL 3
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 3
LEVEL 2
CENTRAL III
LEVEL 3
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 1
CENTRAL II
LEVEL 3
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 1
MID WEST
LEVEL 3
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 1
CENTRAL I
LEVEL 3
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 1
NORTH WEST
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 2
NORTH EAST
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 2
MID EAST I
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 2
WEST NILE
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 1
MID NORTH II
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 1
NEAR EAST
LEVEL 2
LEVEL X
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 1
FAR EAST
LEVEL 2
LEVEL X
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 1
MID EAST II
LEVEL 2
LEVEL X
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 1
MID NORTH I
LEVEL 1
LEVEL X
LEVEL X
LEVEL X
11
South West zone reached Level 3 in both subjects in the two classes. Kampala reached
Level 3 in both subjects at P 3 and in Literacy at P 6, but attained Level 2 in Numeracy at P
6.
All the zones, except Mid North I, attained at least Level 2 in Numeracy at P 3. Fewer zones
reached Level 2 or 3 in Literacy in both P 3 and P 6.
When the 2008 results is compared with the 2007 results it is pleasing to note that more
zones reached at least Level 2 in 2008 compared to 2007.
4.7
FACTORS AFFECTING P 6 PUPILS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN NUMERACY
P.6 pupils had a questionnaire which they filled with the help of the test administrators who
explained any questions that the pupils did not understand. The aim was to collect
information about factors which may affect pupils’ learning and achievement in Numeracy.
Among others, the focus was on the following:
Pupil’s perception of Numeracy:
- Whether pupils consider Numeracy important.
- Whether pupils enjoy learning Numeracy.
Pupils’
-
learning of Numeracy:
Gender of Numeracy teacher.
Number of days pupil had been absent from school.
Teacher’s reaction when pupils do not do well in Numeracy.
Factors in the pupils’ environment:
- Jobs P 6 parents do.
- Jobs pupils would like to do on completing school.
The information obtained from the questionnaire is reported in this section. The factors are
also correlated with pupils’ achievement in Numeracy.
4.7.1
Pupil’s Perception of Numeracy
4.7.1.1
Do Pupils Consider Numeracy to be Important?
Table 8 shows the distribution of P 6 pupils according to whether they consider Numeracy
important.
TABLE 8: PERCENTAGE OF P 6 PUPILS, BY WHETHER THEY CONSIDER NUMERACY
IMPORTANT
Numeracy important?
BOYS
GIRLS
ALL
YES
97.4
(3855)
95.7
(3847)
96.6
(7702)
NO
2.6
(120)
4.3
(178)
3.4
(298)
100.0
(3975)
100.0
(4025)
100.0
(8000)
TOTAL
12
Many (96.6%) of the pupils thought Numeracy was important. However slightly more boys
than girls said Numeracy was important. The reasons pupils gave for their response are
presented in Figure 11.
FIGURE 11: PERCENTAGE OF P 6 PUPILS BY THEIR REASONS
FOR CONSIDERING NUMERACY IMPORTANT
100%
50%
0%
BOYS
GIRLS
ALL
Useful in daily life
48.6
46.9
47.8
Career/employment
23.6
22.4
23
Key subject
19.7
22.2
20.9
Challenging
8.1
8.5
8.3
Nearly a half (47.7%) of the pupils considered Numeracy useful in daily life. Some, (23.0%)
thought that it was required for their future studies and employment. Others said it was a
key subject and yet another group found Numeracy challenging, which could facilitate their
ability to think.
The pupils who indicated that Numeracy was not important gave the reasons in
Table 9.
TABLE 9: PERCENTAGE OF P 6 PUPILS BY THEIR REASONS FOR NOT CONSIDERING
NUMERACY IMPORTANT
Why Numeracy is not important
Not relevant to career
Boys
21.1
(8)
Girls
36.2
(21)
All
30.2
(29)
Others (Invalid responses)
78.9
(30)
63.8
(37)
69.8
(67)
Total
100.0
(38)
100.0
(58)
100.0
(96)
In all 96 pupils did not consider Numeracy important. The few (29) who gave reasons said
Numeracy was irrelevant to their career. Nevertheless, more girls than boys held this
viewpoint.
Figure 12 shows the percentage of P 6 pupils rated proficient in Numeracy according to
whether they said Numeracy was important or not.
13
PERCENTAGE OF PUPILS
FIGURE 12PERCENTAGE OF P 6 PUPILS RATED
PROFICIENT IN NUMERACY BY WHETHER THEY
CONSIDERED THE SUBJECT IMPORTANT OR NOT
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
BOYS
GIRLS
ALL
YES
60.0
50.4
55.1
NO
39.4
27.1
31.6
The proportion, 55.1% of the pupils rated proficient from among those who said Numeracy
was important was higher than 31.6% of those who said the subject was not important.
This means that pupils who consider Numeracy important are more likely to perform well in
it.
4.7.1.2 Do Pupils Enjoy Learning Numeracy?
When P 6 pupils were asked if they enjoy learning Numeracy, they responded as shown in
Table 10.
TABLE 10: PERCENTAGE OF P 6 PUPILS, BY WHETHER THEY ENJOY LEARNING NUMERACY
Enjoy learning Numeracy?
BOYS
GIRLS
ALL
YES
94.0
3711
93.3
3787
93.7
7498
NO
6.0
244
6.7
271
6.3
515
TOTAL
100
3955
100
4058
100
8013
Most (93.7%) of the P 6 pupils stated that they enjoy learning Numeracy. The two genders
responded in a similar manner. Pupils’ reasons for enjoying the subject are presented in
Figure 13
14
FIGURE 13: PERCENTAGE OF P6 PULIS BY WHY THEY ENJOY
LEARNING NUMERACY
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
BOYS
GIRLS
ALL
Easy
35.2
31.5
33.4
Interesting
27.4
30.1
28.7
Good teaching
16.7
19.9
18.3
Practical
16.1
13.7
14.9
Challenging
4.6
4.8
4.7
P 6 pupils’ reasons for enjoying Numeracy ranged from the subject being easy and
interesting, to good teaching and its practical, therefore applicable, and challenging nature
which trains people to think.
Reasons pupils mentioned to explain why they did not enjoy learning Numeracy are given in
Table 11.
TABLE 11 PERCENTAGE OF P 6 PUPILS BY REASONS FOR NOT ENJOYING NUMERACY
Reason
BOYS GIRLS ALL
Difficult
65.2
68.1 66.7
Bad teaching
12.2
15.0 13.6
Not interesting 12.2
9.7 10.9
Others
10.4
7.2
8.8
Pupils who indicated that they did not enjoy Numeracy considered the subject difficult and
not interesting. Another group felt it was not well taught as the teacher was unfriendly,
difficult and sometimes caned pupils. A small number thought the teacher was dirty.
Figure 14 gives the percentage of P 6 pupils rated proficient in Numeracy by whether they
enjoyed Numeracy or not.
15
FIGURE 14 : PERCENTAGE OF P 6 PUPILS
RATED PROFICIENT BY WHETHER THEY
ENJOY NUMERACY OR NOT
PERCENTAGE OF PUPILS
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
BOYS
GIRLS
ALL
YES
60.0
50.2
55.0
NO
51.1
35.5
42.7
Pupils who said they enjoy Numeracy did much better than those who said they do not. A
higher proportion (55.0%) of them had the desired rating compared to 42.7% of those who
do not enjoy learning Numeracy. The difference in performance of the former and the latter
groups was bigger for girls than boys.
4.7.2 P 6 Pupil’s Learning of Numeracy
4.7.2.1
Gender of P 6 Numeracy Teachers
P 6 pupils had to state if they were taught Numeracy by a male or female teacher. The
distribution of the pupils according to the gender of their Numeracy teacher is shown in
Figure 15.
FIGURE 15: PERCENTAGE OF P 6 PUPILS BY
GENDER OF THEIR NUMERACY TEACHER
FEMALE
8%
MALE
92%
Of the 8,374 P 6 pupils (4,133 boys, 4,234 girls and 7 who had not given their gender) who
indicated the gender for their Numeracy teachers, 7,701 (92.0%) were taught by male
teachers. Figure 16 shows the proportion of P 6 pupils rated proficient according to the
gender of their Numeracy teacher.
16
FIGURE 16: PERCENTAGE OF P6 PUPILS RATED
PROFICIENT BY THE GENDER OF THE NUMERACY
TEACHER
80
60
40
20
0
BOYS
GIRLS
ALL
MALE
58.3
48.8
48.3
FEMALE
64.0
45.1
46.4
Overall there was no difference in the performance of pupils taught by male and female
teachers: the respective percentages of pupils who reached the defined competency level
were 48.3% and 46.4% Nevertheless, more boys taught by females other than males had
the desired rating. Conversely a slightly greater proportion of girls taught by males were
proficient compared to those taught by females.
4.7.2.2
P 6 Pupils’ School Attendance
Asked the number of days they had missed school in the first two months of second term, P
6 pupils gave responses as summarized in Figure 17.
FIGURE 17: PERCENTAGE OF P 6 PUPILS BY THE NUMBER OF DAYS
THEY HAD BEEN ABSENT
Absent 1-5 days;
55%
Absent 6-10 days;
8%
Absent over 10
days; 4%
Never absent; 33%
Out of the 8,204 pupils in the sample, only a third, 33%, had not missed school in the first
two months of the term. Over a half, 55%, of the pupils had missed school for 1-5 days.
The rest missed school for 6 days or more. There was no difference in the pattern of boys’
and girls’ absenteeism. The main reasons for pupils’ non-attendance are given in Figure 18.
17
FIGURE 18: PERCENTAGE OF P 6 PUPILS BY REASONS FOR
ABSENTEESM
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
BOYS
GIRLS
ALL
Pupil sick
64.0
67.7
65.9
Relative sick/dead
12.7
15.7
14.3
Lack of fees
8.3
7.5
7.9
Gardening/grazing
6.8
3.0
4.8
Lack of scholastic materials
5.2
4.3
4.7
Others
3.0
1.8
2.4
The main reason pupils gave for being absent from school was poor health. Almost twothirds (65.9%) of the pupils missed school because they were sick and another 14.3% did
so due to sickness or death of a relative.
Figure19 presents the percentages of pupils rated proficient according to the number of
days they had been absent from school.
18
FIGURE 19 PERCENTAGE OF P 6 PUPILS BY REASONS FOR
ABSENTEESM
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
BOYS
GIRLS
ALL
Pupil sick
64.0
67.7
65.9
Relative sick/dead
12.7
15.7
14.3
Lack of fees
8.3
7.5
7.9
Gardening/grazing
6.8
3.0
4.8
Lack of scholastic materials
5.2
4.3
4.7
Others
3.0
1.8
2.4
The performance of the pupils declined as the number of days they had been absent
increased. Although 55.5% of the pupils who had never missed school had the desired
rating, the figure dropped to 43.7% for those who had been absent for more than ten days.
4.7.2.3
Teacher’s Reaction When Pupils Do Not Do Well In Numeracy
P 6 pupils were asked to state what their Numeracy teacher does when they do poorly. The
responses of the pupils are shown in Figure 20.
19
FIGURE 20: PERCENTAGE OF P 6 PUPILS BY NUMERACY TEACHER'S
REACTION WHEN PUPILDS DO POORLY
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
BOYS
GIRLS
ALL
Corrects
73.9
69.5
71.7
Beats
23.9
28.5
26.2
Does nothing
1.7
1.6
1.7
Tells parents
0.5
0.4
0.4
Most (71.6%) pupils reported that their teachers correct them when they do poorly.
Sometimes the teachers give them remedial work after the corrections. However 26.2% of
the pupils said their teachers beat them when they do badly. Gender-wise, while more boys
reported being corrected more girls said they received a beating. Figure 21 gives the
percentages of pupils rated proficient according to how the teachers react when they do
badly in Numeracy.
FIGURE 21 PERCENTAGE OF P 6 PUPILS RATED
PROFICIENT BY HOW TEACHERS REACT WHEN
PUPILS DO POORLY
Does nothing
Beats
Tells parents
Corrects
0
% PROFICIENT
10
20
30
40
50
60
Corrects
Tells
parents
Beats
Does
nothing
54.8
51.6
47.8
41.5
Correction and parental involvement produced better results: 54.5% and % respectively of
pupils whose teachers used these approaches were rated proficient in comparison to 41.5%
of those who were beaten.
20
4.7.3 Jobs Of Father And Mother And Job Pupils Would Like To Do
P 6 pupils had to state the job their fathers and mothers did as well as the job they (the
pupils) would like to do on completing school. The pupils’ responses were categorized into
six as shown below
Job Label
Science–related job:
Arts-related job:
Semi-profession:
Skilled labour:
Peasant farming:
Teaching:
Description
Job obtained after pursuing a professional science-based
course.
Job obtained after pursuing a professional arts-based course.
Job obtained after training up to certificate or diploma level.
Job requiring skills but without much academics.
Subsistence farming.
Teaching in a school or other institutions of learning.
Table 12 shows the percentages of the pupils and the jobs their fathers and mothers did.
TABLE 12: PERCENTAGE OF P 6 PUPILS BY THEIR PARENTS’ JOBS AND JOBS THEY WOULD LIKE
TO DO
PARENTS' JOBS
PUPILS' CHOICE OF JOBS
FATHER MOTHER BOYS
GIRLS
PUPILS
Science–related profession
Arts-related profession
Semi-profession
Skilled labour
Peasant farming
Teaching
3.8
1.7
37.1
17.6
27.3
1.4
4.8
24.7
54.6
10.7
0.5
3.9
32.9
53.2
7.8
6.7
4.2
23.5
3.5
25.0
5.2
24.9
11.4
2.2
38.7
6.0
14.6
17.3
2.9
31.9
From the pupils’ statements, about a half of their fathers (54.6%) and mothers (53.2%)
were peasant farmers. A greater proportion of fathers than mothers had professional jobs.
P 6 preferred job was teaching which was chosen by nearly a third, 31.9%, of them,
followed by science-based jobs, indicated by 27.3% of the pupils. Only 2.9% of the pupils
wished to do peasant farming, the work most of their parents did. More girls than boys
aspired to be teachers, but the reverse occurred for science-based jobs.
Figure 22 shows the percentages of pupils rated proficient in Numeracy according to the
jobs their parents had and the jobs the pupils aspired to have.
21
FIGURE 22 PERCENTAGE OF P6 PUPILS RATED PROFICIENT
BY JOBS PARENTS DO AND JOB PUPIL WANTS TO DO
Arts-related profession
FATHER
Science–related
profession
Semi-profession
MOTHER
Skilled labour
Peasant farming
PUPIL
Teaching
0
20
40
60
80
PERCENTAGE OF PUPILS
There was a relationship between parents’ jobs and the achievement of pupils. Generally
the proportion of pupils with the desired rating increased as parents’ jobs changed from
peasant farming to skill-based and then to professional job. Furthermore, the pupils whose
mothers were teachers reached higher levels of achievement than those whose fathers had
a teaching job. The pupils’ achievement correlated with their job aspirations in a similar
manner. A greater percentage of the pupils who desired professional jobs achieved the
desired rating in comparison with those who wished to have skilled-based job or be peasant
farmers. However, pupils who wanted to be teachers achieved at the lowest level.
5.0
CONCLUSIONS AND DISCUSSIONS
5.1
Overall level of Achievement
At the national level 71.4 % of the P 3 pupils reached the defined level of competence in
Numeracy. This performance is almost satisfactory, as it shows the majority of the learners
reaching the defined targets. These pupils demonstrated competence in the numerical
concepts taught in P1-3. They could for example, carry out addition and subtraction of 2digit numbers with or without carrying. However, they found difficulty in applying these
concepts in real life situations. The mean score 52.7% too, was quite high. Last year,
2007, the percentage of pupils who reached a similar level of proficiency was 44.7%.
In Numeracy at P 6 about a half (53.5%) of the pupils were rated proficient, which is still
low, but relatively good, considering that in 2007, only 41.4% obtained a similar rating.
The pupils with this rating could, among others, carry out basic number operations in word
problems and apply the basic operation in simple commerce problems.
It was pleasing to note these improvements in the performance of both P 3 and P 6 pupils
in Numeracy. This could be accounted for in three main ways. Firstly, the thematic
curriculum is being implemented in P1 and P2 and teachers of these classes have been
trained. It seems the spirit of the thematic curriculum is permeating, through the P1 and P2
22
teachers to P 3. In all the schools visited P 3 pupils were being taught in the area local
language, which could have enabled them to understand the concepts better.
Secondly, last year UNEB conducted wide dissemination exercise in the districts in which all
the key stakeholders, including parents, participated. The exercise involved explaining the
findings using customized reports for teachers, headteachers, inspectors, parents, teacher
educators and assessment personnel. The reports were simple and outlined the key areas
which needed to be addressed. In addition they suggested ways by which these areas
could be addressed. For instance, the teachers report indicates that, in Numeracy,
geometry and measures were the two areas in which pupils performed poorly. Specific
recommendations were made on how teachers could teach these topics, making reference
to the pupils’ everyday experiences.
Thirdly the pupil textbook ratio has generally increased, such that most pupils are now able
to access a textbook.
Fourthly, teachers seem to be using the textbooks in a more rational manner.
Performance in Literacy in the two classes, however, has not been as good as that of
Numeracy. The respective percentages of P 3 and P 6 pupils who were rated proficient
were 44.5% and 47.9% and the mean scores 38.2% and 40.2% are statistically comparable
to these 45.5% of P 3 pupils and 49.6% of P 6 pupils who obtained the desired rating in the
year 2007.
Pupils in this category exhibited competency in reading and answering questions on simple
texts, presented in prose and graphical forms
5.2
Trends In The Overall Level Of Achievement Of Pupils
The variations in the trends of achievement in Numeracy and Literacy could be mainly due
to the performance of the districts formerly war torn.
The zones of Mid North I (Lango sub-region), Mid North II (Acholi sub-region), and Far East
(Teso sub-region) had many of their pupils displaced in camps and were studying in
learning centers. These schools have now relocated back home and are beginning to settle
down. Indeed, the proportion of P 3 pupils rated proficient in these zones has greatly
increased. For instance while in 2007, only 23.6%, 12.4% and 21.4% of the pupils in Mid
North I, Mid North II and Far East respectively reached the minimum desired ratings, in
Numeracy, in 2008, the figure rose to 40.5% in Mid North I, nearly doubled. In Mid North
II the change to 65.5% was remarkable. Likewise in Far East the proportion of pupils with
the desired rating rose to 54.8%, which is more than twice that of 2007.
5.3
Achievement by School Location and Ownership
There were higher levels of achievement in urban than rural schools. The difference was
greater at P 6 than P 3 and in Literacy compared to Numeracy. This could be due to better
reading skills among the pupils in urban schools. For instance, in comprehension at P 6,
pupils in rural areas could respond mainly to questions which require them to obtain the
answer directly from the passage. On the other hank, pupils in urban schools were able to
use information from the passage and draw conclusions or make predictions. Usually
23
children in urban centres attend nursery schools where they are introduced to
of reading and writing.
the
skills
The greatest disparity in all the comparisons was, however, between the government and
private schools. Nearly all , over 90%, of the pupils in private schools in both P 3 and ^
were rated proficient in Numeracy and Literacy. In fact even P 6 girls in private schools
performed as well as the boys in Numeracy. Could this good performance be partly due to
good time management, accountability by the schools to parens and availability of reading
materials? Other factors responsible may be better educated parents who could be able to
help their children with their school work.
5.4
Achievement by Zone
Overall all the zones performed at higher levels this year than they did in 2007. For
instance, out of the sixteen zones, fifteen attained at least Level 2 in Numeracy at P 3 This
compares with eight zones which reached this level at P 3 in 2007.
5.5
Factors Affecting P 6 Pupils’ Achievement in Numeracy
Factors which were correlated with achievement in Numeracy included pupils’ perception of
Numeracy, teachers’ reaction to poor performance, pupils’ rate of school attendance and
jobs pupils would like to do.
5.5.1 Pupils’ Perception Of Numeracy
Many pupils felt that Numeracy was important, considering it useful in daily life and
necessary for their future career and employment. They also stated that they enjoyed
learning Numeracy, as they found it easy and interesting. Pupils who did not consider
Numeracy important felt it was not relevant to their career, and not useful in life. However
the proportion of girls who said Numeracy was not important was higher than the boys’.
Perhaps because of society’s stereotyping, whereby mathematics and science-based careers
are supposed to be for males. After all even their Numeracy teachers are mainly males.
5.5.2 Pupils’ School Attendance
Only a third of the P 6 pupils had attended school without missing any day during the first
two months of the second term. The rest missed school for one to ten days. Pupils’ main
reason for missing school was sickness of (themselves) or their relatives. More girls missed
school because of sickness whereas more boys were absent due to gardening and grazing
animals. The correlation of achievement with the number of days a pupil’s was absent
showed a decline in the achievement level as the number of days missed increased. This
makes sense, because the more one misses school, the more they miss what is taught.
24
5.5.3 Teacher’s Reaction When Pupils Do Poorly
The majority of pupils reported that their teachers correct them when they do poorly in
Numeracy. About a quarter however reported that they get beaten or abused . a small
number (0.5%) of the pupils said their teachers inform parents, and yet another small
group said teachers did nothing. It was pleasing to note that pupils whose teachers correct
or inform parents when they do poorly, performed better than those with teachers who beat
them or did nothing. It is important that learners should be told of their mistakes and be
helped and supported to do better. When this support is provided by both the teacher and
parent, it is likely to yield better results. However, teachers tend to deal differently with
boys and girls; while boys tend to get a correction from teachers, a greater proportion of
girls receive a beating.
Pupils who considered Numeracy important and enjoyed learning it , performed at higher
levels than those who thought otherwise. When a learner values a subject, he/she is likely
to devote much time and put in effort in order to do well in the subject.
25
26
THE ACHIEVEMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOL
STUDENTS IN UGANDA IN
MATHEMATICS, ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND
BIOLOGY
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
OF
REPORT OF THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF PROGRESS IN EDUCATION
© 2008 UGANDA NATIONAL EXAMINATIONS BOARD
INTRODUCTION
The quality and pace of any country’s integral development is largely a reflection of
its education system. Aware of this fact, effective from 1996, the Government of
Uganda through the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) embarked on
carrying out national assessments at primary school level. The annual assessments
are aimed at determining pupils’ achievement levels so as to monitor the
effectiveness of the education system and the changes in achievement levels over
time. The results of national assessment surveys have been the basis for informed
policy interventions in the primary sub sector, directed at improving the teaching
and learning in the classroom.
In 2007 the Government launched the Universal Secondary Education (USE0
programme following the implementation of Universal Primary Education (UPE)
programme in 1997 which is in line with, among others, the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). This volume is the first publication of NAPE at the
secondary school sub sector where assessment targeted senior two (S 2) students.
The Government recognizes the critical importance of Mathematics, English
Language and Science (Biology) for wider career development of students and the
development of the country as a whole. Consequently, it was decided that NAPE
assessments should done in these three subject areas on an annual basis.
Therefore the first National Assessment of Progress in Education at secondary (S 2)
was started in Uganda in 2008.
OBJECTIVES OF THE 2008 ASSESSMENT
The 2008 survey had the following objectives:
(a)
(b)
(c)
Determine the level of students’ achievement in English Language,
Mathematics, and Biology.
Examine the patterns of performance in the skill areas and topical areas of
English Language, Mathematics and Biology.
Examine the relationships between achievement and students’ gender,
age and boarding status; and school location (urban or rural), school
ownership (government or private) and zones of the country.
OVERALL LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENT
The performance of S 2 students varied across the subjects: English Language,
Mathematics and Biology.
2
FIGURE 4.01: PERCENTAGE OF S 2 STUDENTS REACHING VARIOUS
LEVELS OF PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Advanced
Adequate
Basic
BOYS
21.5
59.8
18.7
GIRLS
19.5
62.6
17.5
ALL
20.7
61.2
18.1
English Language was the best done subject, with 81.8% of the students reaching
the desired minimum level of proficiency. This category of students could, among
others, read and interpret a story, dialogue and poem and write a well sequenced
composition using the correct grammar. This means that only a small proportion of
18.1% were below the minimum desired level of proficiency. The mean score, too,
of 64.9% was high. Maybe, the students who manage to proceed to secondary
from primary schools are those who would have mastered reading skills.
It is also possible that students get more practice in English Language, since in
secondary schools the main language of communication and medium of instruction
is English. Besides, secondary schools have teachers from different parts of the
country and the common language that unites them with the students is English.
Similarly, most secondary schools have libraries, which enables students to get
exposed to a variety of reading materials.
3
The second best done subject was Mathematics. Over two thirds (69.4%) of the
students achieved or surpassed the desired minimum competency level. This leaves
30.6% of the students who were considered to have acquired just the elementary
concepts and skills of Mathematics specified at S 2. The mean score of 48.8% was
above the desired minimum mean score of 40%. However, only 6.3% of the
students were able to reach the advanced rating in Mathematics. The Advanced
rating represents mastery of the subject. Teachers of Mathematics are relatively
few. Perhaps these few teachers end up teaching in more than one school, so they
would not have time to give regular home work and mark.
4
FIGURE 5.01: PERCENTAGE OF S2 STUDENTS REACHING
VARIOUS LEVELS OF PROFICIENCY IN BIOLOGY
80
STUDENT PERCENTAGE
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Advanced
Adequate
Basic
BOYS
2.4
40.8
56.8
GIRLS
0.3
28.5
71.2
ALL
1.5
35.2
63.3
Students performed at low levels in Biology. Just over a third (36.7%) of the
students demonstrated that they had acquired the competencies in Biology which
are specified at S.2 level. This implies that nearly two thirds of the students fell
below the minimum level of competency. The overall mean score of 38.4% was
also low. It is worth noting that Biology is a science subject, which students have to
learn through practical work. However, some schools lack either a laboratory facility
or adequate materials and apparatus for practicals. The teachers, too, may not
have the time and will to prepare for practicals. Moreover, some teachers could
have gone through a system in which they themselves were taught theoretically.
5
Skill Areas of English Language
FIGURE 4.06: PERCENTAGE OF S 2 STUDENTS RATED
PROFICIENT IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE BY SKILL AREA
Reading
Comprehen
Writing
Grammar
BOYS
82.3
77.9
84.4
GIRLS
81.4
81.4
85.7
ALL
81.9
79.5
84.9
Among the three skill areas tested, more S 2 students were rated proficient in
Grammar, followed by Reading Comprehension and fewer were rated proficient in
Writing. It is probable that English teachers lay more emphasis on Grammar than
Reading and Writing.
This could be because the exercise for Reading
Comprehension and Writing take more time to prepare and mark compared to those
of Grammar and so teachers tend to opt for the easier part.
In Reading Comprehension, students’ performance was best in passage reading,
with 91.5% rated proficient. This was followed by dialogue reading. However,
cartoon reading registered the lowest performance, with 71.6% of the students
rated proficient, followed by poetry reading. Cartoons and poetry require higher
levels of interpretation. Probably students at S 2 are not exposed to these literary
aspects of English.
Tasks involving punctuation, articles and words of quantity were the best done in
Grammar. These sub-skills are introduced quite early at primary level, so by the
time students reach S 2, they would have mastered them. However, some students
could neither identify nor use tenses correctly.
Topical Areas of Mathematics
6
FIGURE 3.07: PERCENTAGE OF S 2 STUDENTS RATED PROFICIENT IN
MATHEMATICS BY TOPICAL AREA
Sets &
Probability
Numerical
Concepts
Geometry
Number
Patterns
Transformations
Statistics
BOYS
56.1
92.2
85.8
79.4
46.2
91.4
GIRLS
50.1
91.9
74.6
75
39.4
87.2
ALL
53.4
92.1
80.7
77.4
43.1
89.5
In Mathematics, students showed best performance in numerical skills, where
92.1% of them were proficient, followed by statistics.
They were able to
demonstrate that they could apply the four basic number operations in daily life.
They could also use the concepts of fractions, percentages and ratio in daily life
situations. Nevertheless, Transformations and Set concepts and Probability with
43.1% and 53.4% of the students rated proficient respectively posed the biggest
challenge to the students. This could be because in everyday life, students
encounter many situations which require them to use numeric skills, such as
computing sums, differences and proportions. However, Transformations and Set
Concepts are quite abstract and need more imagination in order to visualize and
understand the concepts, and therefore need a more practical approach in
presentation by the teacher. Are teachers using the appropriate teaching methods?
7
Topical areas of Biology
FIGURE 5.06: PERCENTAGE OF S 2 STUDENTS RATED PROFICIENT IN
BIOLOGY BY SKILL AREAS.
100
STUDENT PERCENTAGE
80
60
40
20
0
BOYS
GIRLS
ALL
Living things
Microscopes &
handlenses
Flowering
plants
Insects
Soil
54.8
87.1
48.3
59
31.7
47
85.1
33.7
50.7
20.7
51.3
86.2
41.8
55.3
26.7
Among the topical areas of Biology, Performance of students was best in
Microscopes and Hand Lenses, with 86.2% reaching the desired level of proficiency.
Is it because this topic is usually taught practically and students enjoy seeing the
changes between the object and the image? Surprisingly, the worst performance
was in Soil. Is this a result of presumption on the part of the students (and
teachers)? Taking the understanding of Soil and its structure for granted, being
more curious and excited about Microscopes and Lenses!
ACHIEVEMENT BY GENDER
In English Language, there was no significant difference between the performance,
of boys an girls, although slightly more (82.5%) girls than the boys (81.3%) were
rated proficient. Girls seem to have a natural liking for language – motherhood
instincts and qualities of using language to children.
Mathematics and Biology registered significant gender differences in performance, in
which boys did better than the girls, with the difference being greater in Biology. Is
the stereotyping of Science and Mathematics as a male domain already developing?
Do teachers use methodology that interests all categories of learners, including
girls? Are there female role models, for instance female Mathematics and Science
teachers, who would motivate the girls?
8
ACHIEVEMENT BY AGE
In all the three subjects, the achievement levels of the students first rose between
ages 13 years and 14 years. After age 14 years, performance declined with increase
in age. At 13 years, students may be too young to under some of the concepts
taught.
The older (14+ year olds) students, on the other hand, may be
experiencing learning difficulties. They could also have other responsibilities and
interests which distract them from learning, especially if they are day-scholars.
ACHIEVEMENTS BY SCHOOL LOCATION
The students in urban areas performed at significantly higher levels in English
Language and Biology than their counterparts from schools in rural areas. The
disparity in performance in Mathematics between the two groups of students was
not significant. Urban schools tend to be better resourced. Perhaps students in
urban schools are also more exposed to an environment that aids learning of English
Language – the use of English as a medium of communication and access to the
print media in the language.
More and better resources are required for teaching Biology. Since urban schools
tend to relatively close to each other, it is possible for them to share the resources teachers for instance, can provide their service in more than one school.
In English language, girls in the urban schools had a higher mean of 70.1%, in
comparison to the boys’ 68.8%. The reverse happened in rural schools with girls
and boys scoring means of 61.8% and 62.7% respectively. Higher self esteem and
confidence level among girls in urban areas?
However, it is possible that the rural environment has factors such as negative
attitude and lack of role models, which may adversely affect the girls’ performance.
ACHIEVEMENT BY BOARDING STATUS
Students who were boarders performed at significantly higher levels compared to
day-scholars. Probably due to the fact that students who are boarders have a more
organized use to time. There is prep time, which is supervised. And since the
students are all in the same place, it is possible to have peer learning. Nonetheless,
day-scholars may not have the space for doing prep. Moreover, they may lack the
necessary facilities, such as desks and lighting. Besides, there may be other
obligations and responsibilities to be met after school.
ACHIEVEMENT BY SCHOOL OWNERSHIP
The students in government aided schools performed at higher levels in all the three
subjects. However, the differences were not significant. The small difference may
9
be due to the more stable teaching staff that government schools have. Nonethe
less, it appears that private schools are putting some effort to acquire resources
which enhance teaching and learning. Besides, the number of trained teachers for
some subjects, for example, English Language, could have increased, so private
schools can also hire enough of them.
ACHIEVEMENT BY ZONE
Across the zones, best performance in all the subjects was exhibited by students in
Kampala and Central I. Central I is the area which surrounds Kampala City, as such
the level of urbanization in the zones is almost as high as in Kampala itself.
Students in these zones are also more exposed to the media and other reading
materials, which is likely to promote their acquisition of literacy skills. These two
zones also attract more teachers because they are more endowed with social
amenities. In addition, Kampala and Central I have the highest number of educated
parents who are likely to support the school in various ways. As a result, the
schools may be better resourced. Because the parents are more enlightened, they
may demand for accountability and hold the school responsible for their children’s
performance.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The key issues which emerged from the results of the survey are indicated in this
section. In addition, recommendations are made on how to address, and who
should address the issues.
10
S/NO
ISSUE
RECOMMENDATIONS
RESPONSIBILITY
CENTRE
(1)
English Language
(a)
Overall
level
of 
achievement was high.
Continue providing reading
materials
(b)
Students
could
ably 
answer
questions
on
comprehension passage
(story) but not on poetry 
and cartoons.
Provide continuous professional Directorate of Education
Standards (DES)
development (CPD) for teachers.
MoES, Headteachers.
Encourage teachers to include
Literary aspects of English Language
in teaching.
Ministry of Education
and Sports (MoES),
Head teachers,
Proprietors, Parents

Assist teachers to embrace the National Curriculum
integrated approach in language Development Centre
(NCDC), MoES
teaching.

Design assessment which promotes Uganda National
the development of higher order Examinations Board
(UNEB), Teachers.
thinking skills in students.

Continue assessing
timely feedback.
and
giving
(2)
Mathematics
(a)
Overall students’ level of 
achievement was about
average.

Train and recruit more Mathematics MoES, Education Service
teachers.
Commission (ESC)
Provide regular CPD
MoES, Head teachers
Transformations and sets 
concepts presented the
biggest
challenge
to 
students.
Provide textbooks.
Proprietors, Parents.
(b)
Adopt more practical methods of DES, NCDC
teaching these topics.
make DES, NCDC
local

Encourage teachers
to
teaching materials from
materials.

Design assessment which promotes UNEB
the development of higher order
thinking skills in students.

Continue assessing
timely feedback.
11
and
giving UNEB
S/NO
ISSUE
RECOMMENDATIONS
(3)
(a)
Biology
Overall level of
achievement was low.

Train and recruit more teachers of MoES, ESC
Biology

Provide regular CPD

Teach students to understanding Head teachers
underlying concepts.
Teachers

Integrate practical approach in the
teaching of Biology.
Teachers, Head teachers

Use the vast laboratory the Teachers, Head teachers
environment provides to reach
Biology.

Design assessment which promotes UNEB
the development of higher order
thinking skills in students.

Continue assessing
timely feedback.

Encourage the two genders
maintain
this
pattern
performance.

Help girls to develop interest in Teachers, Head teachers
Parents
Biology and Mathematics.

Use teaching methods that make Teachers, Head teachers
learning Science and Mathematics
participatory and interesting.

Use practical approach in teaching

Provide CPD on the use of student – MoES, DES
centred teaching methods.

Continue assessing
timely feedback

Encourage parents to send children Local leaders, MoES
to school at the appropriate age.

Use teaching approaches that Head teachers, Teachers
encourage students of all ages to DES
develop interest in learning.
(b)
Students had difficulty in
answering questions on
soil.
(4)
(a)
Students’ Gender:
Girls and boys performed
at the same level in
English Language.
(b)
Girls performed at lower
levels in Biology and
Mathematics.
(5)
Students’ Age:
Performance level rose
between age 13 years
and 14 years and then
decreased with increase
in age.
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RESPONSIBILITY
CENTRE
MoES, DES
and
and
giving UNEB
to Head teachers,
of Teachers, Parents
Head teachers, Teachers
giving UNEB
S/NO
ISSUE
(6)
Performance by Zone:
Students in Kampala and
Central I (Kayunga,
Mpigi, Mukono and
Wakiso) performed at
significantly higher levels
than the other zones.
RECOMMENDATIONS
RESPONSIBILITY
CENTRE

Replicate good practices in these MoES
zones to other zones.

Continue assessing and giving UNEB
timely and comprehensive feedback.
13