Terrific Test Results!

Quoting our JPSS Director Fr. John, we are “over the moon” with excitement over our S4 students’ just-released 2023 UCE testing results!  They once again ranked #1 in the Pallisa District and, based on their average scores, the school is now in the top 20% in the whole country in UCE results!   Many thanks and congratulations to our wonderful teachers and staff for making this happen!

The exams that these students take last for several days. Students take 10 subject exams, each of which is typically 2.5 hours.  

Each exam results in a score for that subject of 1 – 9.  A “1” is the top grade awarded, down to a “9” which is a failing grade. Then, their best eight exam scores are added to get their total aggregate score and respective division.  The highest aggregate score a student can get is 8 (top scores in the best 8 subjects), and the worst score is 72 (failure of every subject test). Scores between 8 and 32 receive a Division One ranking.  John Paul Secondary School had 32 students in Division One, 59 students in Division Two, 44 students in Division Three, and only 16 students in Division Four.  See how the school has progressed year over year and compared to Uganda overall.

The class did so well that the school held a celebration party to honor their results.  Here are some of the photos of the fun event.

The Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) examination builds on the knowledge and skills assessed at UCE. It is designed to test candidates’ ability to comprehend and apply knowledge in new situations; demonstrate logical reasoning skills, ability to perform scientific experiments, interpret results and draw the relevant conclusions. The questions set test the candidates’ ability to handle higher order tasks such as descriptions, explanations, analysis, and evaluation which are expected at this level.

Hello Everyone, The senior six results are out and our students have performed so well with the best getting 16 points in sciences. Another celebration in the making.

Bwayo Moses – JPSS Headteacher

The students each take an exhaustive exam in 3 (Primary) subjects of their choosing – what they’d want to pursue at University or a tertiary institution.  They also take 2 subsidiary subjects including a general paper and either computers or sub-math as an option.  To be able to move on to University education, a student needs to pass at least 2 of the 3 principal subjects (Principal Passes) which account for the bulk of their total points (1-6 points is passing for each of the principal subjects). The general paper and subsidiary computers or math test are weighted 1 point for a pass.  No points are awarded for failure of exams.  The Total Points awarded a student is a sum of the points they’ve earned on the principal and subsidiary subjects.  If a student does not earn at least 2 Principal Passes, they can still go on for tertiary education with 1 Principal Pass and 1 Subsidiary Pass.  Tertiary education includes technical and vocational education and training, for example technical training colleges and health training institutions.

Of our 2023 S6 students, 76% scored 3 Principle Passes (3P) – compared to 48% of all S6 students in Uganda!! 

Overall 97% of our students (32 of 33) qualified to go on to University – compared to 74% of all S6 students in Uganda.  And all of our students have the qualifications to pursue tertiary education.    The challenge for them will be finding any financial assistance with attending; it’s much less available in Uganda than it is here (see excerpts below). 

As you may remember, we had one student last year who scored total points of 14 on the UACE and since he was from the Pallisa district – he was awarded a government scholarship to University.  We’re hoping for more such scholarships as this year: we had 2 students who scored 16 total points and are guaranteed a government district scholarship.  And we had 2 who scored 14 (and many more just behind them) who may qualify but we have to wait and pray as it’s a very competitive award.

I’m dancing this time round. There was a stellar performance by the S.6. of last year. The results are out. Thank you again!

Fr. John Chrysostom Oduc – JPSS Director

Outside of the UACE, S6 students can choose to take an Alternate Examination such as the UNMEB (Uganda Nursing and Midwives Medical Examinations Board), UBTEB (Uganda Business and Technical Examination Board), and UAHEB (Uganda Allied Health Examinations Board).  These exams are required for students wishing to pursue vocational training for careers in nursing, craftsmanship, trades, medical technicians, etc. and offer a good alternative to a University degree.

We wish all of our S.6. graduates the very best of luck!  Their futures are bright thanks to you, our donors!