Implementation of Government Policy on Science Education and Students’ Academic Performance in science subjects in Secondary Schools, Nwoya District.
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Date
2026
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Gulu University
Abstract
This study investigated the Implementation of Government Policy on Science Education and Students’ Academic Performance in science subjects in Secondary Schools in Nwoya District. The objectives of the study were to assess the status of implementation of government policy on science education in secondary schools, to establish the level of students’ academic performance in science subjects in secondary schools and to establish the relationship between implementation of government policy on science education and the level of students’ academic performance in science subjects in secondary schools in Nwoya District. Compulsory science at O’ Level, science teachers’ high pay, curriculum design change, teacher- training programme and SESEMAT denoted implementation of government policy on science education. MOCK grades, UNEB Grades (National Exams) and student’s project grades denoted level of students’ academic performance. The study was conducted using cross-sectional co-relational design; data were collected using questionnaires from 163 respondents. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse background statistics, objectives one and two. Pearson correlation was used to examine the relationship between implementation of government policies on science education and level of students’ academic performance. The findings indicated that the implementation of government policy on science education in secondary schools were largely effective at the procedural and administrative levels. Teachers actively promoted science learning and provided support to learners, which demonstrates strong professional commitment and alignment with national education goals. The findings indicated a clear shift in respondents’ understanding of academic performance from a narrow examination-oriented perspective to a broader, competency-based framework. Teachers strongly associated academic success with project-based learning, skill acquisition, and the practical application of knowledge. The findings revealed a moderate, positive and statistically significant relationship between the implementation of government science education policy and students’ academic performance. The study concluded that implementation of government policy on science education was commendable in terms of policy awareness, curriculum adoption, teacher commitment, incentive structures and administrative supervision. The study concluded that the level of students’ academic performance was widely perceived as multidimensional, extending beyond examination scores to include practical skills, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication abilities. The findings concluded that there was a statistically significant moderate positive relationship between theimplementation of government policy on science education and the level of students’ academic performance in science subjects in secondary schools. The study recommended that government should prioritise equitable investment in laboratory infrastructure and provision of adequate science equipment across all secondary schools to ensure consistent and effective practical science instruction, secondary schools should institutionalise competency-based assessment approaches such as project-based learning and integration activities alongside UNEB examinations to ensure a more holistic evaluation of students’ academic performance and the government and school administrators should adopt a holistic implementation strategy that strengthens science education policy while simultaneously addressing complementary factors such as resource provision, teacher capacity building and learner support systems to enhance students’ academic performance.
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Keywords
Implementation of Government Policy, Science Education and Students’ Academic Performance.