UBTEB students struggle with sciences at diploma level

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | UBTEB students are struggling with Science subjects at Diploma level in various technical and vocational institutions across the country.

According to the results released on Thursday, by the Uganda Business and Technical Examinations Board (UBTEB), there were 175 accredited examination centres countrywide, with a total of 7,006 end of programme candidates in 39 technical institutes, 113 business diploma and certificate programs and three physical and biological diploma and certificate programmes.

From analysis of the results, 602 candidates (about 28%) were negatively affected by modules such as engineering surveying, engineering mathematics II, Strength of Materials, AutoCAD (a commercial computer-aided design and drafting software application) and Thermodynamics.

“These have some papers to perfect competences. They did not satisfy all the required standards and will have to improve their competences in some of the modules when the examinations and continuous assessment will next be offered,” says Onesmus Oyesigye, the UBTEB Executive Secretary.

The results show that only 35 candidates (2%) of the 2,153 candidates that sat technical diploma excelled in class 1 with Distinctions.

None of the candidates obtained a distinction in the National Diploma Electrical Engineering and a diploma in Refrigeration and Air conditioning. This was the same with Higher Diplomas in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and a Higher Diploma in Building (Construction) Engineering.

Out of a total of 2,606 candidates that registered for this year, only 1,551 successfully completed their studies.

For this technical science category, more male candidates incidentally dominate in registration at 2,606 and only 264 females signifying a continued narrowing of the gender gap.

The Board has advised that the Heads of Examination Centres to monitor the teaching and ensure early coverage and completion of syllabus/ curricula in these areas.

UBTEB also assesses competencies for students offering the physical and biological sciences diploma programmes. These programs are from training institutions under ministries of Agriculture, Animal Industry & Fisheries, Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Ministry of Lands and Urban Development as well as Ministry of Water and Environment.

Under these ministries, diplomas in Cartography (Geoinformatics), Land Management and Valuation, Physical Planning, Land surveying and geomatics, Agro Meteorology, Animal Production and Management, Crop Production and Management, Boat Building Technology and Marine, Fisheries and Management Technologies and a Diploma in Integrated Agriculture and Aquaculture.

The Board assessed their May-June examinations of 788 candidates that sat, where a total of 536 successfully completed their programs while 252 (about 32%) failed.

For the candidates that did fisheries programs, courses such as Fish Diversity & Taxonomy, Fisheries Resources Management negatively affected their completion rate owing poor performance in the subjects.

Also out of the 120 candidates that sat for these programmes under certificate level, 55% failed.

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URN