The government has issued a stern warning to school administrators, urging them to refrain from soliciting money from parents for the placement of Senior One entrants. This caution comes in response to the government’s concern that such practices are hindering well-qualified students from securing spots in their preferred schools.
School heads, both from government and private institutions, are currently convening at UMA grounds to sift through and select students for admission to Senior One. The official overseeing this process, Commissioner Ismael Mulindwa, emphasized the government’s stance against school heads who habitually request money from parents in exchange for student placements.
Mulindwa underscored that this practice undermines the transparent entry of students and deprives those who applied for certain schools as their first choices, even if they meet the required cutoff points. Despite this, school heads maintain that placement is determined solely by the school’s intake capacity, desired cutoff points, and the student’s school preference.
Over the two-day exercise, more than 4293 schools are expected to admit 515,000 of the 648,662 candidates who successfully passed the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE). Notable admissions include Budo Kings College absorbing 200 students, Nabisunsa Girls School admitting 200 students, and Lubiri Secondary School taking in 600 students, each with varying cutoff points.
Additionally, Ntare School has admitted 240 students not exceeding 6 points, while Iganga Girls SS accepted 240 students not exceeding 9 points. Lira SS admitted 240 students with girls scoring 8-21 points and boys with 16 points, and Abim SS admitted 360 students with boys scoring 16 points and girls scoring 26 points.
To address the teacher-student ratio gap, the government has announced plans to recruit 4000 teachers in secondary schools.
