The Impact Of Upe On The Academic Performance In Primary Schools In Nabweru Sub-county Wakiso District

ABSTRACT: This study was carried out in schools of Nabweru Sub County, Wakiso district; to find out the impact of the Universal Primary Education (UPE) on the academic performance of the pupils in primary schools since 1996 - 2006. The researcher intended to:- 1. Establish the methods teachers use while assessing the performance of the pupils in primary schools. 11. What pro bl ems teachers face in carrying out the assessment of the pupils' academic performance. m To find out the attitude of the stake holders towards the academic performance of the learners in UPE schools. The academic performance of the learners in UPE primary schools has not been all that excellent due to methods used and low supply of resources to the beneficiaries and lack of enough well trained teachers to handle the above noble cause. Since the teachers are important elements in improving the academic performance of the learners, the study adopted the research methods in which the questionnaires and the interviews were used to collect data. According to the findings of the study, show that teachers use different methods of assessing pupils' performance in primary schools, it was found out that 60% of the teachers use testing method compared to other methods. It was also revealed that 72% of teachers experience some problems while assessing the learners' performance in Nabweru Sub County. It was also revealed by the head teachers that, the policy has had an impact on the performance of the learners through the following: By training more teachers, giving capitation and facilities grants to UPE primary schools in order to improve on the quality of education hence good performance. The findings revealed that the policy has reduced illiteracy, early marriage, increased number of the girls in schools i.e. the gender inequalities has been addressed. Vl It was also revealed that high population in UPE schools has affected the academic performance where by 72% of the teachers revealed that. And 28% of the teachers revealed that automatic promotion see table 4.7. 40% of the pupils in schools has affected the policy. In a nut shell, from the findings the policy has improved the performance of the learners in UPE primary schools and it has registered significant progress in curbing illiteracy equipping the age going primary school children with basic skills and knowledge to enable them to exploit the environment for both self and national development.