Performance of Learners With Special Needs Worries Parliament

(This article was first published on the New Vision site on February 6, 2023)

By Henry Sekanjako

The Deputy Speaker of Parliament has asked the minister of education and sports to table before the House, a statement explaining the performance of learners with special needs.

In his communication to the House on Wednesday, Thomas Tayebwa said the failure rate of learners with disabilities is worrying.

“Out of 263 students with disability, especially the deaf, who sat in the recently released Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), none of them passed in the first division,” said Tayebwa.

He demanded that the education ministry explains to Parliament steps taken to help students with special needs to curb the number of students with disabilities failing exams.

According to 2022 PLE results released by the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) last Friday, 100,000 students failed the final exams, which are taken at the end of the primary education cycle.

Tayebwa said the performance of learners with disabilities and abled students is a major point of concern for Parliament.