Why Impoverished Children do well in Ugandan Schools

Abstract

The influence of socioeconomic status upon the academic performance of poor children in Ugandan schools is investigated. In Uganda, socioeconomic status has little influence on school children's academic performance because the children of the wealthy are no more self-confident than are the children of the poor. The lack of influence exerted by socioeconomic status is due to the comparative recency of wide economic stratification; the close link between academic achievement, educational attainment, and later occupational success; and the universalistic prerequisite to educational advancement, the Primary Leaving Examination. Economic status is not linked with attitudes of self-concept. Therefore, although characterized by wide differences in wealth, Ugandan school children cannot be said to be marked by divisions of social class. Finally, the presence of the Primary Leaving Examination ensures that all have an equal chance for success. This exam maintains personal confidence by assuring children that, regardless of how menial their background, they will be judged fairly. Thus, it can be concluded that academic advantage is not an inevitable condition of economic privilege. 60 references.

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