Gov’t suspends online admissions for S.5 students

The Ministry of Education has ordered all public and Government aided schools to immediately stop conducting online admissions for students joining S.5 classes after the release of 2020 UCE results on Friday.

The directive was issued by the First Lady and Education Minister, Hon. Janet Museveni and advised parents and students to fall for these online admissions since the Government is yet to issue a date when schools will reopen for classes to resume.

Mrs Museveni said during the release of the UCE results that the selection exercise for admissions to join senior one and senior five classes would be communicated in due course and urged parents and schools to be patient as Government finds a way out.

“For those that successfully completed ‘O’ level, the selection exercise will be communicated to you in due course, but not before the lockdown has been lifted. This is similar to what I mentioned to the public when I released the 2020 PLE results only a fortnight ago. I did see and hear some of the Government aided schools carrying out online applications and admissions shortly after the PLE results were released,” Mrs Museveni said.

This comes after some Government aided schools two weeks ago had started inviting students to apply online for S.1 vacancy after the release of the 2020 PLE Results, which the ministry still rendered as being illegal and unauthorised process of admissions.

Previously, school heads would gather and jointly select the top students that applied to their schools as first choice.

“As I have said before, there are some practices that are desirable, and even preferable. As Government, we do encourage and promote e-governance systems because we know the efficiencies they bring along in conducting business. However, as Government, before we adopt such practices, we always take into consideration the wider implications especially on equitable access to services by our people in the country,” she said.

She said that last year, her Education Ministry embarked on developing a curriculum, admissions and placement policy as well as a higher education policy, and added that those two policies will guide on admission and placement of students in the entire education system.

“These two policies will among others pronounce clear systems, standards and guidelines to regulate admissions and placement of students in the entire education system. Therefore, until then, the current Government approaches for selection and admission into entry levels for all ‘O’ level, ‘A’ level and post-secondary education levels remain as it is for public and Government aided Institutions,” she said.