At least 7,300 students who sat for O' level examinations in 2008 will not receive a Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) or be able to pursue higher secondary education after failing. The figure, according to statistics compiled by the Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb), represents 3.7 %of the total 197,958 students who sat for the exams. The 96.3 %who passed obtained grades one to four. According to Uneb statistics, the majority of those who performed well (40.9 %) passed in division four followed by division three with 27.3 per cent. Those in division two were 20.1 % and division one were 7.9%. Uneb says more girls than boys failed the exams. Of the 7,300 who failed, 3310 were boys while 3990 were girls. Uneb Executive Secretary Mathew Bukenya told headmasters while releasing the results on Friday at Namboole Stadium that a significant number of candidates failed some of the ten subjects due to inability to comprehend the questions posed by the examiners. 'In science subjects, candidates showed lack of practical skills and experience. In theory papers, poor performance is exhibited in questions based on practical skills,' he said. He attributed the failures partly to lack laboratory facilities in more than 700 examination centres.
