The Crossroads: UACE Exam Results
By Rosa Kemirembe
UACE results are out. Maybe they are not what you hoped for. Maybe the grades are low. Maybe university is not on the table right now. And maybe you are sitting there wondering if your future is over before it even begins.
Let me tell you something that might save your life. Your future is not written by your exam results. It is written by what you do next.
This year, a student who completed Senior Six last year did not perform well. The pressure became too much and she took her own life. That is a tragedy. And it is a wake-up call for all of us. Parents, teachers, students, we have to understand something important. Disappointment is not the end. It is a bend in the road. Some of the most successful people in this world did not get good grades. Some of them failed completely. And they still made it.
Parents, please stop comparing your children. The neighbour's daughter who got all distinctions has her own struggles you cannot see. Your son with low marks has a strength that no exam can measure. Find that strength. Nurture it. Water it like a seedling and watch it grow.
Now, let me share something that should give you hope. There are people who changed the entire world and they never set foot in a university as students. Sir Richard Branson founded the Virgin Group and is worth billions. He was dyslexic and performed poorly in school. His headmaster told him he would either go to prison or become a millionaire. He dropped out at sixteen and started a magazine. Steve Jobs dropped out of college after six months because his parents could not afford it. He went on to co-found Apple and give us the iPhone. Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard to focus on Microsoft. Ralph Lauren dropped out of college and built a global fashion empire. David Karp never even finished high school and created Tumblr with over five hundred million users.
These men did not let the absence of a degree define them. They found their strength. They built skills. They persisted. And you can too.
So what are your options if university is not the path for you right now? One of the best kept secrets in Uganda is the TVET pathway. That stands for Technical and Vocational Education and Training. This is hands-on learning from day one. If you study catering, you are in the kitchen. If you study welding, you are working with metal. If you study hairdressing, you are working with real clients. The entry requirements are flexible. Whether you have PLE, which is Primary Leaving Examination, UCE, which is Uganda Certificate of Education, or UACE, which is Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education, you can apply. Some institutes will even test your prior knowledge if you have no formal papers. You can apply at district headquarters or directly at the institutes themselves.
The best part about TVET is that you can finish a diploma in two years and start earning while your university friends are still waiting to graduate. Institutions like Billbrain Institute offer evening and weekend classes so you can work while you study. Government programs like Emyooga and the Parish Development Model have money set aside specifically for young people with business ideas. And there are Presidential Industrial Hubs where you can get free training in welding, hairdressing, tailoring, and more.
Another option is to jump straight into the job market, but you cannot just sit at home waiting for a job to fall into your lap. The truth is that five out of every ten young people between eighteen and thirty in Uganda are not in employment, education, or training. To stand out, you need a marketable skill. Videography. Programming. Digital marketing. Advanced mechanics. Solar installation. I met a young man who finished Senior Four and took a short course in photography. He started by offering free photos at community events just to build a portfolio. Today he has his own studio in Kampala and employs two people. It is about your attitude and your skills, not just your certificate.
Now, let me speak directly to the student who feels left out. Maybe you are thinking, "I am not good at books. I have never been good at exams." Maybe you have a disability and you have been told your whole life that education is not for people like you. Maybe you are a girl in a village where everyone says your place is in marriage, not in a classroom.
Hear me clearly. You are not excluded from success. You are excluded only from a system that was not designed with you in mind. And that system is not the only way. Inclusive education means that every learner, regardless of ability, background, or circumstance, deserves access to meaningful learning and employment. It means that vocational training can be adapted with lower benches for wheelchair users, with interpreters for Deaf students, with flexible schedules for young mothers. It means that if you are not strong in academics, you might be strong with your hands. You might be a brilliant mechanic, a talented tailor, a creative videographer, a skilled carpenter. Those are not less than. Those are valuable.
The Uganda Institute of Information and Communications Technology, known as UICT, in Kampala has made real progress in including students with visual impairment in ICT courses. That stands for Information and Communications Technology. Organizations like NUDIPU, the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda, can offer support if you face discrimination. Leonard Cheshire has programs linking young persons with disabilities to internships and jobs. Seek them out. Do not assume no one will hire you. Make them see your ability.
If money is the problem, listen to this. Lack of money is not lack of potential. The Higher Education Students Financing Board, called HESFB, offers loans to Ugandan students with good grades but no funds. You pay back after you graduate and get a job. There are also scholarships through districts, through churches and mosques, through NGOs, which are Non-Governmental Organizations. You have to hunt for them. Ask your head teacher. Ask your Local Council chairperson, your LC. Do not assume the door is closed just because your pocket is empty.
Consider taking on part-time work while you study or train. A few hours a week at a shop, a cafe, tutoring younger students, offering a skill you already have. It gives you pocket money, reduces the burden on your parents, and teaches you to manage what you earn. More than money, part-time work is a chance to network. You meet people. You build relationships. The person you serve coffee to today could be the one offering you a job tomorrow.
One more thing about friends. Choose them wisely. You will meet people who push you to work hard and people who push you to waste time. Be wise. And be the friend who includes others. If you see someone sitting alone, invite them. If you have a classmate with a disability, walk with them. Do not stare. Do not whisper. Include them genuinely. You might be the only safe person they meet.
Emotionally, you need a safe person. When the weight feels too heavy, and it will, you need someone to talk to. A lecturer, a family member, a mature friend, a religious leader. Someone who will listen without judging. Lean on your faith if you have it. Church, mosque, prayer in your room, that anchor will keep you steady when everything else feels uncertain. And remember, safe people must be accessible. If you are Deaf, find someone who can sign. If you are in a remote area with no phone, find a community health worker. You are not alone, even when it feels like it.
So here is the truth for every S.6 leaver reading this. You are standing at a crossroads. But there are no wrong turns. Just different journeys. Some of you will thrive at university. Some will build empires with your hands through vocational training. Some will jump into the market and learn as you go. Some will find a way that no one expected, just like Richard Branson and Steve Jobs.
The most important thing is to take a breath. Talk to your people. Do your research. And take that next step with confidence, not fear.
Education is for everyone. Whether you are a girl or a boy. Whether you can see or cannot see. Whether you walk with crutches or use a wheelchair. Whether you are from the city or the deepest village. Whether you have the money or you are still figuring it out. Whether you scored high or low.
You belong. You matter. There is a place for you.
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