Fifteen Luwero Headteachers Under Fire Over Poor PLE Results

Fifteen headteachers in Luwero District are under scrutiny following the poor performance of their schools in the 2024 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE). The district saw 1085 candidates (6.8%) fail and 288 candidates (1.8%) absent from the exams, out of 16,162 registered students. While 1756 students (11.11%) achieved Division One, the overall performance still raised concerns.

Several schools were highlighted for their poor performance, including Kyanukuzi UMEA Primary School, where 13 out of 20 candidates failed, Nakabululu Primary with 11 failures from 29 candidates, and St. Stephen Kyetume, where 8 out of 16 candidates failed. Other underperforming schools included Muwangi P/S, Kisazi P/S, and Malungu P/S, among others.

Yusuf Kamulegeya, the Luwero District Inspector of Schools, stated that the headteachers of these schools will be summoned to explain the high failure and absentee rates before any disciplinary actions are taken. Although the number of failures decreased from 8.8% in 2023 to 6.8% in 2024, the district is still concerned about the high failure rate and demands accountability from the headteachers.

Erastus Kibirango, the LCV Chairman of Luwero District, revealed that some headteachers have blamed the failures on the registration of students from non-UPE schools and parental neglect. However, Kibirango emphasized that these reasons are insufficient and stated that headteachers must justify the performance of each candidate. If the explanations are unsatisfactory, they will face disciplinary action by the Sanctions and Rewards Committee for incompetence.

Kibirango also reiterated a district resolution requiring parents to pay for lunch fees, to eliminate this excuse for failure. Reverend Canon Mephibosheth Musisi, the Luwero Anglican Diocesan Secretary, expressed concern as four of the listed schools are run by the Church of Uganda, adding to the widespread dissatisfaction with the results.