Ms Grace Amani Katoro, a 17 year old student of Trinity College Nabbingo, Wakiso District was among the best performers in Physics in the S3-S4 category. She was representing the Central Region in the recently concluded Uganda National Physics competition organised by the Uganda Physics Society at Trinity College Nabbingo. Under the S1-S2 category, Mr Simon Ahabwe, a student at Ibanda Secondary School was also recognised for his outstanding performance. According to the organisers, 1,372 students from 48 secondary schools across Uganda participated in the qualifiers for the stage of the competition, with 598 students qualifying for Paper II of the national contest, following a highly competitive first round.
Ms Katoro, attributes her success to hard work, well equipped laboratories, computer laboratories and committed teachers at her school, who she says are always available to guide students. ‘I usually do my own research from the computer laboratory, participate in discussion groups. At the beginning of every term, the class teacher assigns us groups. Each group is given questions that we research on discuss and make presentations in class. This has helped us improve our performance,’ says Ms Katoro, who is the group head. She adds, ‘We have many science teachers who are available and we often conduct practical experiments frequently. We also have test books for reference’.
Ms Katoro advises her peers struggling to excel in the sciences to have a positive attitude towards sciences, as they have a chance to do well, as long as they put in more effort. Ms Immaculate Nassozi Lwanga, the headteacher of Trinity College Nabbingo says the school has applied different strategies to ensure that the girls excel in sciences and dispel a belief that sciences are a preserve for boys. ‘One of the things that we have done is fighting phobia around sciences telling them that they’re doable. We have also attracted female role models to come and engage students including old students who have gone through the system,’ Ms Nassozi Lwanga explains. She also asserts that a formidable team of teachers is key for learners to succeed in the sciences.
‘My students have been exposed to very good teachers. l have a team of young and vibrant teachers. It has helped them to get back to the roots and love the sciences,’ Ms Nassozi Lwanga adds.
Support to more Schools
With government continuing its push for the teaching of sciences in secondary schools to promote economic development, Ms Nassozi Lwanga says a number of gaps should be bridged to realise the science dream. She believes that if government commits to recruit more teachers and check discriminatory pay, the teachers will deliver as expected. In addition, Ms Nassozi Lwanga says government should also consider providing the infrastructure including classrooms, to other schools for the measures to succeed.
Dr Nelson Ndugu, the national coordinator of Uganda National Physics Contest (UNPC), also says that engaging students in science contests helps them to know their weaknesses, address them and excel in sciences. Dr Ndugu says learners, who actively engage in debate clubs, science clubs, vastly interact with nature and engage in collaborative academic activities tend to perform more strongly in analytical and innovation sections of the competition.
He cites the Uganda National Physics contest, as one of the initiatives experts have opted for to promote deeper engagement in Physics and Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines while generating insights that can support improvements in Competency-Based science education across the country. He commends the contribution of Physics teachers from schools that took part in the recent competition, highlighting the importance of mentorship, guidance, in developing scientific talent at secondary school level.
Mr Vincent Elong, the chairperson of Uganda Professional science teachers Union (UPTU) says improving performance in sciences goes beyond salary enhancement. ‘We need infrastructure, material equipment for laboratories and teachers,’ he says. However, Uganda faces a significant shortage of science teachers. While the national policy recommends a student-to-teacher ratio of 1:40, the actual ratio varies drastically. In many government-aided schools, the ratio stands at 1: 90 students. Statistics from the Ministry of Education reveal that the country has approximately 6,500 science secondary school teachers, making for a critical deficit, of 13,000. The government is continuing to push for the recruitment of more science teachers by enhancing their salaries to attract talent and improve performance in STEM subjects.