Dokolo Authorities Link Rising Youth Crime to Automatic Promotion Policy

By Ceaser Odongo, Radio Wa

Authorities in Dokolo District have linked the rising cases of youth involvement in crime to the government’s automatic promotion policy in primary schools, warning that declining education standards are producing learners ill-prepared for life beyond school.

The district’s Secretary for Education and Health, Santo Okuja, said poor academic performance, particularly in the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE), has left many young people vulnerable to negative influences after dropping out of school.

Okuja explained that although the Ministry of Education introduced automatic promotion in 2005 to improve learner retention, reduce repetition, and lower government expenditure linked to school dropouts, the policy has produced unintended consequences at the district level.

He noted that many pupils who fail the PLE decline to repeat Primary Seven and instead abandon school altogether. According to him, a growing number of such dropouts are now being associated with criminal activities within their communities.

Okuja, who also serves as the district councilor for Kangai Town Council, called on headteachers to strengthen supervision and improve teaching standards in order to reduce failure rates and curb the increasing number of school dropouts.

He further argued that automatic promotion has contributed to a steady decline in education standards in Dokolo District, resulting in Primary Seven candidates who lack basic literacy and numeracy skills.

In response, district authorities have introduced learner screening from Primary One to Primary Three as a measure to regulate promotion and improve overall academic performance.

Okuja also pointed to parental negligence as a key factor driving the high dropout rate, particularly in upper primary classes.

According to the 2025 PLE results released by the Uganda National Examinations Board, Dokolo District registered 3,125 candidates. Of these, 136 passed in Division One, 513 were graded Division U (fail), while 24 candidates did not sit for the examinations.

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