[EDITOR'S OPINION]: Why we should worry about UACE performance in sciences

The good news is that the custodians of the national examinations, the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), registered a better performance compared to candidates in 2020.

Let’s first delve into the overall performance figures.

Data from UNEB indicated that 99.2% of the total number of candidates who sat for the exams qualified for the UACE award.

In 2022, more candidates were able to get 3 principal passes compared to 2020. For instance, in 2022, 41,973 (representing 43.5%) candidates got 3 principal passes compared to 41,411 (representing 42.5%) candidates.

At the minimum of 2 principal passes required for admission into university, 67,815 (70.3%) qualified compared to 69.8% in 2020.

Of the 97,889 candidates who registered for the examinations from 1, 969 centres, according to UNEB, 42% (41,113) were females while 58% (56,776) were males.

During the release of the exam results, the UNEB executive secretary, Daniel Odongo, revealed that science candidates had performed poorly in both Physics and Biology.

Odongo said the two subjects were the worst done subjects in the 2022 UACE exams which is worrying since it would mean that less candidates would be admitted for Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery academic programme at the university.

UNEB also reported a declining performance in science subjects over the years. 

If less students are admitted to the medicine and surgery academic programme at the university, less doctors will be churned out over the years which will eventually lead to a medical crisis.

Biology and Chemistry are the essential subjects for one to be admitted into the Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery academic programme at the university. Physics and Mathematics meanwhile are subsidiaries but also crucial for one to be admitted in the programme.

This means a candidate must have scored principal passes in all those subjects for them to be considered for admission in to the programme.

UNEB ranked Biology the worst done subject.

A total of 17,994 candidates sat for the subject last year and only 28.8% scored between A – E.

Of the total number of candidates who sat for the subject, 12,811 didn’t score a principle pass in the subject.

To avoid a medical catastrophe in the near future, Government would have to intervene early enough. A third world country like Uganda can’t afford having a medical crisis.