The Ugandan Government has released the 2017 Uganda Primary Leaving Exam (PLE) results revealing that Bridge pupils are among the top performers in the country after entering the exams for the first time.

The exam results published today reveal that 100% of Bridge pupils passed the national exam. In addition, 93.5% of Bridge pupils passed the exam in the top two divisions – Division 1 and 2  compared to the national Division 1 and Division 2 pass-rate of 56%.  

Girls who sat the exam at Bridge performed particularly well with 95% placing in Division 1 and 2. The best performing pupil was Dada Jane Nabutere from Bridge Malaba, in Tororo district.

The results are even more impressive since all Bridge pupils studied for the PLE exam in the Eastern Region which was the worst performing region in the 2017 PLE exams.

The impressive results mean that all Bridge pupils are able to join Ugandan secondary schools and go onto pursue their dreams.

Speaking about her results Dada Jane Nabutere from Bridge Malaba who passed in Division 1 and was among the top performers in Uganda said: “I am so proud of my success and my parents are really excited! I worked really hard and had lots of help from my teachers so hoped that I could do well.”

“I want to be a Civil Servant like my Dad when I finish school and maybe even a Minister one day. Now it’s possible and I would never have achieved this without Bridge.”

Dada’s mother, Getu Bambuya, couldn’t help but break down with tears of joy. “ I am so happy that my daughter has passed with flying colours. I had lost hope in educating my girl but when Bridge came to our community I got hope that one day my girl will be someone important in this country. I am  hopeful that this dream is becoming a reality.”  

An excited Denis Isabirye from Bridge Bugiri could not hide his delight after he placed in Division 1 “This is the best reward that I can give to my parents. They worked so hard to make sure that I had a great education and the opportunity to succeed in life. I am so thankful.”

Commenting on Bridge’s strong 2017 PLE results Morrison Rwakakamba, the Country Director for Bridge in Uganda, said, “This shows fantastic dedication, passion and hard work by our teachers who are consistently delivering a life-changing education for children in some of the most challenging environments in Uganda.” 

Mr. Rwakakamba also attributed the success to the great support from the government of Uganda, saying, “We are grateful to the minister for Education Hon. Janet Kataaha Museveni for the support and encouragement that she extended to us throughout the academic year. With her passion and enthusiasm towards educating Uganda’s children, in partnership with the private sector, the future of this great nation remains bright.”

“This great performance in the national exams confirms that we teach the Ugandan curriculum enabling Bridge pupils to become strong and confident Ugandan citizens.” he added

“This success is evidence that children from all communities can achieve academic success if given the right opportunities, supportive teachers and empowering schools. These results show Bridge pupils in Uganda are gaining a very high quality primary education are are able to fulfil their potential. “

Ogaba Bonny, a Bridge Teacher from Magamaga said, “We always believed in our pupils. From the time they joined Bridge, their academic performance was steadily improving. These results are an encouragement for us to continue to provide evidence based learning. The way we are supported with teaching resources and guides has made all the difference.”

The results are the latest in a string of children’s learning gains being evidenced by Bridge, a social enterprise focused on extending quality education to every child in Uganda.

The results released by the Uganda National Examinations Board are a rubber stamp on the consistent and exceptional performance of Bridge pupils. These positive results follow straight after similar results in the Kenyan national exams (KCPE) and the strong learning gains released by the Liberian government a few months ago.

ENDS

For more information, please contact:

Solomon Serwanjja

Public Relations Manager

+256774380945

media@oldbridge.mc-staging2.net

Notes to Editors:

Interviews, photos and case studies available on request.

Bridge has been operating in Uganda, since 2015 and runs 63 schools across the country.

The Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) are the compulsory national exams that all Ugandan pupils take at the end of Primary Seven.  Independently administered by the Uganda National Examinations Board, PLE is a high stakes standardised exam.  The mark is entirely based on exam performance and does not comprise any teacher assessments or coursework.

• Pupils who pass in division 1,2 and 3 scoring 28 aggregate – with a credit in english and maths – qualify for secondary school education.
• Bridge is proud to teach the Ugandan curriculum and inspire them to be strong, confident Ugandan citizens. There is no greater testimony to this than the good PLE results scored last academic year

The PLE Exam took place in November 2017.

The Uganda PLE results follow Bridge learning gains in other countries:

• For the third consecutive year Bridge pupils in Kenya outperformed the national average. In 2017, Bridge pupils outperformed the Kenyan national average by 10 percentage points. Read more here
• Publication of a Liberian RCT in August 2017, which proved that after just 9 months Bridge pupils were outperforming their peers in traditional public schools by a 100%. Read more here.

About Bridge

Bridge believes every child has the right to high quality education and works in partnership with governments, communities, parents and teachers to ensure access to quality education. Bridge has served more than 300,000 children to date.

Bridge leverages in-depth teacher training and support, advanced lesson plans and wireless technology to provide pupils with a meaningful and life-changing education. Globally, there is an education crisis. Around 600 million children are either not in school at all, or in school and not learning. Bridge is committed to helping tackle this through a data driven, evidence based approach that delivers strong schools and a great education for all.