By Western Focus Team
Authorities in Greater Bushenyi region have expressed concern over cases of pupils dropping out of schools before completing primary seven.
The Bushenyi Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Emmy Ngabirano said today he monitored the ongoing Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) and discovered that a number of some pupils who had registered for PLE did not show up to write their PLE papers.
A case in point is at Kyanyakatura primary school in Nyabubare Sub County Bushenyi district where one pupil did not turn up yet he registered. At Rwakashoma primary school in Kizinda Town council, also one candidate did not surface.
At Kigoma primary school, out of 19 pupils who registered for the PLE, 3 abandoned the school and only showed up three weeks to the exams.
The district education officer William Ahabwe also said he noticed some cases of PLE absenteeism in some schools which he monitored.
“We shall get the total number of pupils who have not sat for PLE yet they had registered,” Ahabwe said.
Ngabirano said he has tasked the head teachers to write reports explaining why pupils drop out to the extent of missing out on PLE yet they registered.
“It’s very unfortunate because their abseeintism gives us Xs as a district which is not good in ranking,” Ngabirano said. He said the head teachers apportion the blame to parents’ negligence.
The DEO (Ahabwe) said some dropped out to do small businesses, boda-boda among others. Ahabwe particularly blamed parents in Kyamuhunga, Kakanju and other tea growing sub counties saying they allow their children to drop out and join tea plucking.
Ngabirano commended the head teachers for adhering to the government’s policy of stopping any child from sitting for his/her PLE because of defaulting on school fees.
In Buhweju district, cases of pupils not turning up for PLE yet they registered were also reported.
The district deputy Resident District Commissioner Goodman Tumwebaze said, “Some dropped and got married, some left to work as housemaids and house boys.” He also explained that others chose to join businesses. In Buhweju, a total of 2325 candidates were registered to sit for PLE. “Out of that number, we are yet to find out how many did not wait to complete their P.7,” Tumwebaze said. He also blamed the tea industry and gold mining for contributing to cases of children dropping out of school.
In Rubirizi district, the Assistant Resident District Commissioner Dagorous Rwamutojo said PLE went on well in the entire district. “We are yet to find out whether there are some pupils who registered and later failed to show up. For us as Rubirizi we made it clear that no head teacher is supposed to deny exams to a child who registered,” he said. End.
