The Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataaha Museveni, has expressed concern over the continuous reduction in registration by boys for final examinations.

While presiding over the official release of the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examination on Thursday, February 15, 2024, at Nakasero State Lodge in Kampala, the minister, who is also the First Lady, noted that more girls were registered for UCE, a similar trend in PLE.

“During the release of the PLE 2023 results, more girls were registered and sat for the PLE. We see a similar trend emerge in UCE,” Minister Janet Museveni said.

According to the minister, much as the increase in the number of girls’ registration is good, the decline in the number of boys completing S.4 and P.7 needs to be explained.

“Much as we celebrate the turning of the tide to keep girls in school, we must find a logical reason and explanation for the decline in the number of boys completing Primary Seven and Senior Four,“ Janet Museveni noted.

She added, “Our society can be holistically healthy when all boys and girls join the education system and complete their respective levels; we do not want to always have a disadvantage of one gender against the other.”

This trend is a shift from previous years, when the number of boys registering always exceeded that of girls. However, the UNEB Executive Secretary, Dan Odongo, has also expressed concern over the low female performance in science subjects and has called for national strategies to address the issue.

In general, the government commends a significant reduction in national examination absenteeism as it continues to note the increase in candidature for the UCE, with a steady decline in the rate of absenteeism.

As the number of boys registering for UNEB exams continues to decline, several questions linger in the minds of UNEB officials: what could be the reasons rotating around this twist in trend?

According to the 2023 UNESCO report, lately, boys are at a greater risk of repeating grades and failing to progress or complete their learning while in school because of child labour heightened by COVID-19 and its effects, as they engage in small businesses and other forms of work to support their families.

The low completion of national exams by boys is also a result of poverty, with about 81% of households reporting a lack of money as the reason for their children dropping out of school.

Additionally, the gender preferences of girls over boys leave them neglected and less likely to complete their education.

In cases of absenteeism where some boys fail to attend the examination due to illness, this may affect the boys, leading to dropouts if not encouraged.

The above factors are a big contributor to the ongoing decline in the number of boys completing primary and secondary education, something the Ministry of Education needs to look into before it gets out of hand.