Kampala, Uganda — The Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) General Secretary, Filbert Baguma Bates, has broken his silence on the 2025 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) results, offering insights into the factors behind learner performance.
Speaking on The Heads Show on Gugudde TV, hosted by Grace Pirato, Baguma emphasized that multiple factors influence student outcomes, including teachers, parents, and government policy. He highlighted the role of teachers in setting and marking exam questions.
“Teachers are the ones who set PLE questions, and they must be considerate of the candidates. When a teacher consults widely while developing a marking guide, it reflects fairness and consideration for the learner,” Baguma said.
The UNATU chief also addressed claims that the industrial action by government Arts teachers was solely responsible for poor PLE results. He pointed out that several private schools, which were not affected by the strike, also recorded weak performance.
“The industrial action by government Arts teachers is not the sole cause of the poor PLE performance. We have seen many private schools where there was no strike also register weak results,” he said.
On exam management, Baguma clarified that head teachers are not the only accountable parties. He noted that every UNEB examination centre has designated staff — including examination scouts, invigilators, inspectors, and transporters — who are paid to oversee the process.
“If examination papers remain in a head teacher’s office, these officials must explain why. They are not supposed to leave the centre before the exams are collected. Everyone involved is paid to manage the process, and in this case, the head teacher has no issue to answer,” Baguma explained.
Baguma urged stakeholders to consider systemic issues rather than attributing blame to individual teachers or schools.
For full details, watch the full segment on The Heads Show via the link provided.
This is beautiful, well done Gugudde Tv