Factors contributing to the poor performance of Universal Primary Education in Ttamu and Kabule Parishes, Busimbi Sub-county, Mityana District

Abstract

Despite the government huge expenditure on the scheme, UPE continues to exist with enormous high dropout rate, parental irresponsibility, poor relationship among stakeholders, high rate of teachers’ absenteeism, and lack of enough education facilities and ever failing academic standards exhibited in poor performance of pupils after PLE.

Way back in January 1997, the government introduced UPE as a national wide programme to cater for the education of children at least four from each family. However, due to the need, after the first enrolment it was made free education for all. The government has tried to offer opportunities for education for all however, the quality of education in line with the performance of pupils is very poor in Ttamu and Kabule parishes, Busimbi sub-county in Mityana District.

On the peripheral, you can notice high enrolments in primary one since the introduction of UPE year after year. However, the challenge is, when it comes to mention those who completed the whole system of the primary education cycle of seven years in relation to those enrolled in primary one; many have not finished! More so, looking at the value and substance of the education received by those who remain in school is also a misnomer. Finding pupils in primary seven who are not able to write their names, read or write a letter in the local or official language is common among UPE schools in the area. Though we cannot dismiss the program because it is not living to its expectations, what is important is to ask ourselves: what is the way forward? In this dissertation, the researcher ventured into finding out the factors contributing to the poor performance of the UPE program in the area mentioned above.

The findings called upon stakeholders to setup strategies to ensure that UPE improves its performance; this is to happen through collective responsibility, whereby local leaders are vigilantly monitoring the scheme at all levels. And among other stakeholders, no one waits to blame the other but holding hands together to achieve the common good and fighting the social evil of ignorance. Therefore, this dissertation calls for individual stakeholders to feel the blame if UPE is failing and the reverse is true for that matter.