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KAMPALA, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | The number of learners opting for science subjects at the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) level is steadily increasing, according to the data from the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB).
An analysis of data from the past five UACE examinations shows an upward trend, with Mathematics experiencing the largest increase in student registrations over the years.
The number of candidates taking mathematics nearly doubled from 31,729 in 2019 to 58,495 in 2024. Physics, chemistry, and biology have also seen significant increases in candidature. Physics rose from 11,270 in 2019 to 23,679 in 2024. Chemistry saw an increase from 16,772 in 2019 to 29,283 in 2024, while biology grew from 14,496 in 2019 to 24,853 in 2024.
Recent media reports, including those published by New Vision, highlight that with the rising number of students pursuing science subjects, some traditional schools, like St. Henry College Kitovu, have not registered a single arts student in the recent intake for Senior Five. However, despite the positive trend in enrolment figures, the proportion of science candidates remains below half of the total candidature.
Dan Odongo, the UNEB Executive Director, states that despite the increasing number of students, the poor performance in science subjects at O’level may be impacting enrolment at A’level. According to him, with increased efforts to improve performance in these subjects at the lower levels, more students are likely to take up sciences, which have long been neglected in favor of arts and humanities.
Indeed, at the O-Level, science subjects have consistently shown higher failure rates compared to humanities. Failure rates for science subjects at UCE often range between 40% and 60%, which significantly impacts the number of students progressing to study sciences at the advanced level.
Meanwhile, female enrolment in science subjects remains lower than that of male students, although it has been gradually increasing. The number of female candidates in Mathematics rose from 8,942 in 2019 to 19,863 in 2024. Physics saw an increase from 2,058 in 2019 to 5,836 in 2024. Chemistry candidates grew from 5,150 in 2019 to 10,533 in 2024, while Biology saw a rise from 4,880 in 2019 to 9,619 in 2024.
However, Dan Odongo notes that the significant development is the improving performance of fewer female candidates who choose science subjects, with many outperforming their male counterparts in some subjects like physics.
Since 2005, the study of science subjects became compulsory for O’level students, aligning with the government’s strategic investment in science education to create a critical mass of scientists and engineers for national development.
Efforts have also been made to promote science subjects at all levels of education, including increased funding for building laboratories, equipping them with the necessary equipment, offering scholarships to science and technology students, and supporting science teachers. Recently, the government increased science teacher pay by 300 per cent.
Janet Museveni, the Minister of Education, notes that such achievements don’t happen by chance, attributing the current success to years of dedicated efforts. She added that the trends are indeed desirable and reflect the positive impact of these ongoing initiatives.
With the number of candidates growing, UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo acknowledges that persistent challenges remain, which need to be addressed moving forward. Based on their analysis of the 2024 performance, many candidates continue to struggle with practical application and experimental interpretation, particularly in Physics.
Odongo pointed out that many students were unable to describe experimental procedures correctly, struggled to interpret experimental setups from diagrams, and, in some cases, provided results based on prior experience rather than actual experiments. He also highlighted the difficulty students face in applying scientific concepts to real-life situations.
“Additionally, inadequate laboratory facilities and a shortage of well-trained science teachers remain major concerns. While public schools have benefited from government support, private schools, which constitute the majority of Uganda’s secondary institutions, receive minimal assistance. This disparity affects the overall quality of science education in the country,” said Odongo.
Aron Mugaiga, Secretary General of Uganda Professional Science Teachers’ Union (UPSTU), stated that while the increase in science enrolment is commendable, more effort is needed to address the systemic challenges in science education. “There is a need for enhanced investment in laboratory infrastructure, better teacher training programs, recruitment of more teacher and putting in practice the reforms in science curricula to improve conceptual understanding and practical skills among students,” he emphasized.
However, Dr. Kedrace Turyagyenda, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education, acknowledged that more work remains to be done, as the number of science graduates at all levels in Uganda is still very low.
Turyagyenda added that the ministry is working to recruit more teachers and ensure the necessary infrastructure is in place. Furthermore, she mentioned that the ministry is also considering reallocating arts teachers from schools where they are less needed to those where their expertise is still required.
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