Ministry allocates more students to schools in national selection process

KAMPALA, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Education and Sports has increased the number of students allocated to schools through this year’s national selection process. Several schools are now receiving more learners than in previous years to accommodate the growing demand for secondary education.

On the first day of the national selection and placement process, our reporter noted that several schools received allocations of more than 50 additional learners. For example, St. Henry’s College Kitovu, which had been allocated around 180 students in previous years, saw its allocation rise to 230 this year.

Other notable increases include Bweranyangi Girls, which increased from 240 to 300 students, Kawempe Muslim, which rose from 200 to 260, Bishop’s SS Mukono, which saw a slight increase from 450 to 460, Kololo High SS, which grew from 496 to 540, and Ndejje SS, which expanded from 260 to 360 students. Additionally, Nabisunsa SS saw an increase from 140 to 186 students, while Iganga SS Girls grew from 200 to 270.

Speaking on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, Frances Atima, the Director of Education Standards emphasized that the decision to increase the number of students allocated to schools was aimed at promoting fairness and ensuring that the selection process remains merit-based. The move is designed to provide more opportunities for qualified learners to attend their preferred schools, while also addressing previous discrepancies in the allocation system.

“We have increased the number of learners through the automated computerised system. this is intended to ensure equity, fairness and merit in the admission process, in line with the ministry’s mission of ensuring provision of quality education and sports for all,” said Atima.

During the national selection process, the allocation of students is determined by the available infrastructure and staffing capacity at each school. Over the years, the Ministry of Education has asked schools to declare the number of slots they can offer.

However, nearly all schools have declared fewer the number of available spaces than what they have on ground and opted for school-based placements. By declaring fewer available slots, these schools have created a bottleneck in the system, unfairly reserving spaces for students at their own discretion.

This practice has blocked students who could have been placed in these schools based on merit, undermining the fairness of the process. A member of the placement committee shared with Uganda Radio Network that the practice has rendered the national selection process ineffective.

In previous years, there have been efforts to push schools to increase the number of slots they make available to the national selection committee, in an attempt to ensure a more transparent and equitable placement system.

“We have seen schools inform the national placement committee that they have only 100 available slots, yet when you visit them, you find Senior One classes with more than 500 students,” a committee member observed. “Admission to these schools has become a cash cow, and they enjoy the prestige of receiving numerous calls from parents pleading to have their children admitted.”

However, the official explained that the Ministry is working on a long-term solution, particularly through the integration of systems like EMIS (Education Management Information System).

“With this system, the Ministry will be able to track which learners are admitted to each school and the size of each class,” the official added. “This will ensure transparency, and schools will no longer be able to hide their actual enrollment numbers. Soon, the selection process will regain its integrity and relevance.”

In addition to addressing the issue of schools hiding enrollment numbers, the Ministry’s decision to increase the number of slots at each school also stems from the rising number of students completing primary education.

Currently, there are fewer secondary schools available to accommodate this growing pool of learners. Emmanuel Jitta, Deputy Headteacher at Ndejje SS, noted that while their school can accommodate the increased number of students allocated, the growing demand highlights the need for expansion.

“With the growing number of students being allocated to us, there is a clear need to expand our facilities and allocate more staff to maintain quality education,” Jitta added. Meanwhile, speaking at an event, the State Minister for Primary Education, Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu, said that for fairness admission to government schools should be on merit alone.

This year’s national placement process will see the participation of approximately 2,500 secondary schools, including 1,422 government and government-aided institutions. By the end of the process, the Ministry expects to allocate 80 percent of the 722,730 learners who successfully passed the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) in 2024.

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