Nalolo District has recorded 29 percent pass rate in the last grade nine examination, dropping down from 73 percent recorded in 2022.
The district has also dropped from sixth position recorded last year to fifteen this year, from the sixteen districts in the province.
Meanwhile, Nalolo Education Boards Secretary (DEBs) Victor Likezo has described the poor performance as disheartening.
Speaking in an Interview with ZANIS in Nalolo, Mr. Likezo said his office is seeking directions from the District Commissioner and stakeholders to come up with solutions to determine what led to the poor performance by pupils.
“Even as I speak here, I feel so shameful that most pupils have not made it to grade ten. Imagine a situation where 50 pupils sat for grade nine examinations at a particular school and 48 have failed, meaning only two have progressed. This is a very sad situation,” he said.
Mr. Likezo added that the pupils that have not made it to grade ten will now be subjected to register themselves for external lessons, a thing that will be expensive for them.
And Nalolo District Commissioner Namatama Mupo has also attributed the poor performance to poor educational foundation of the children.
Ms. Mupo said malpractice and absenteeism of teachers also contributed greatly to the poor performance of the learners.
“It could be that pupils became reluctant to study because they knew that teachers will help them during examinations, this has lowered the quality of education not only in our district but the entire nation,” she mentioned.
Ms. Mupo also pointed out that most teachers were absent from school for longer periods hence depriving the pupils’ time to learn.
And some stakeholders have expressed concern over the poor performance of pupils who sat for grade nine examinations last year in Nalolo district.
Former Muoyo Ward Councilor Musenge Mahongo said there are several factors that have led to the poor performance of the pupils among them is the bad attitude from teachers who were absconding from school and doing their own things at the expense of executing lessons.
Mr. Mahongo said pupils and parents also become reluctant to concentrate on studies, hoping that when examination time comes, they will have access to leakage.
The former Civic leader said lack of recommended school boarding facilities also contributed to the grade nines’ failure to progress to grade ten.
“Nalolo District has a lot of temporary weekly boarding facilities that lack control of either teachers or parents, so children are subjected to illicit activities because there is no supervision from adults,” he stated.
Mr. Mahongo has since recommended the construction of standard boarding facilities if the passing rate is to improve for the examination classes.
He said there is also a need for the Ministry of Education to scrutinise teachers that handle examination classes in order to determine if they really qualify to teach those classes.