By Suzan Kabarwani

The Minister of State for Higher Education, Muyingo Chrysostom has urged schools not  to discourage students from offering science subjects.

The minister was addressing the press alongside other education officials during the release of the  2012 UACE Results  on Tuesday ,where the  usual trend remained with more students who offered Arts subjects excelling more than those who offered sciences.

Muyingo said that most students are forced to offer arts subjects where they can pass highly and they abandon sciences in fear of failure.He said that this is unfair to students because schools do it in the interest of registering good performance .

Minister of State for Higher Education Muyingo John Chriysostom

“Uganda is currently at a level where more scientists are needed,schools should encourage students offer sciences” The minister said

In the 2012 S.6  exams majority of UACE candidates offer Arts subjects,but there was increased candidature recorded in Mathematics and Physics at 20 per cent, Chemistry and Biology at 14 and two per cent respectively.

Meanwhile UNEB chairman Fagil Monday warned teachers against spotting which make students lose out on mastering key concepts in different topics in the syllabus.

Uneb Secretary Mathew Bukenya  said there was evidence of ‘spotting,’ where candidates prepared for particular questions from certain areas of the curriculum.