More invigilators and teachers were locked up by police over allegations of examination malpractices as Primary Seven candidates wrote their last papers. Yesterday, candidates did their Integrated Science and English papers, sealing their seven-year academic cycle.
A total of 817,885 candidates registered for this year’s Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE). In the Greater Masaka Sub-region, 15 people were arrested for reportedly aiding candidates during exams. The suspects, including invigilators, were arrested in the districts of Masaka, Rakai, Kyotera, and Masaka City.
Mr Twaha Kasirye, the Southern Regional Police spokesperson, said they are still hunting for a male proprietor of one of the prominent schools in Masaka City. He said the school director, who is also a parliamentary candidate in Masaka City, attempted to bribe Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) officials to influence their examination monitoring process.
In Masaka District alone, Mr Kasirye said eight teachers were arrested for examination malpractices. ‘The teachers were caught red-handed writing answers for candidates and coaching them on how to approach Social Studies questions. Evidence was obtained at the scene to support the case,’ he said Police also arrested Uneb invigilators and a scout on allegations of aiding pupils during exams. The regional police spokesperson said another man was arrested at a school for impersonation.
‘The suspect falsely presented himself as a Uneb scout when he was not officially recognised as one,’ Mr Kasirye said. At least 2,724 candidates from 53 schools in Masaka District sat the exams. In the eastern district of Katakwi, the District Inspector of Schools, Mr Daniel Ailileng, said despite the fact that some examination centres are currently water logged, PLE was concluded without any hindrances. He said during the two-day exercise, all centres received the examinations in time, and for the case of schools that suffered floods, they were relocated to churches.
At Oriau Primary School in Magor Sub-county, a total of 62 candidates registered for the papers, of which 34 were girls. At Swaria Primary School, Mr Stanley Elwongu, the head teacher, said one candidate failed to show up during the two-day exercise. In Bugiri District, several Primary Seven candidates failed to sit for their exams after reportedly getting married, and others dropped out to engage in casual labour. Mr Nathan Wabwire, the Bugiri District Inspector of Schools, revealed that at Katuba Muslim Primary School, 190 candidates registered, but two did not turn up.
‘The school administration informed me that one of the pupils had died, while the other could not be traced,’ he said. He added that at Wandegeya Primary School, four pupils were absent without any communication about their whereabouts, while at Bukatabira Primary School, one candidate had been married off and another could not be located. Mr Moses Seema, the chairperson of the Bugiri District Head Teachers’ Association and head teacher of Nankoma Primary School, said the poor road network affected the timely distribution of exam materials.
Ms Scovia Achom, the head teacher of Kasongoire Primary School in Nankoma Sub-county, urged the government to prioritise road maintenance in rural areas. She added that rural schools face numerous challenges, including bad roads, lack of accommodation for teachers, and parents’ failure to provide lunch for the candidates.
Rwenzori sub-region
Despite last weekend’s machete-wielding assailants attacks and years of flooding challenges, schools in Bundibugyo District and along the Uganda-DR Congo border defied the odds to ensure all candidates sit for their exams. In Sindira Sub-county in Bundibugyo District, where suspected machete-wielding attackers struck on Saturday, local leaders said fear initially disrupted exam attendance. Mr Burasio Bwambale, the sub-county chairperson, said about 14 candidates from Mutiti Primary School fled to the DR Congo after the incident but were later persuaded to return and sit for their exams. He added that security was tightened at all exam centres in the sub-county to ensure smooth conduct of the examinations.
‘One parent, who had two children sitting for PLE, was among the suspects arrested over the attacks. When he disappeared, he went with the children, and they missed the exams. Another candidate was also arrested as a suspect, and despite our plea for his release, he missed the exams too,’ Mr Bwambale revealed. Mr John Byamukama, the Bundibugyo District Education Officer (DEO), confirmed that exams were conducted in all 65 centres across the district. However, he said the recent insecurity affected three Uneb exam centres in Sindila Sub-county, including Mutiti Primary School. Mr Byamukama added that at Kagugu Primary School, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) had to deploy soldiers to secure the area so that candidates could sit their final exams without fear.
Mr Benson Atujuna, the head teacher of Umoja Primary School in Ntoroko District, said all 30 registered candidates turned up for the exams despite the harsh learning conditions they have endured since 2019, when floods from Lake Albert submerged their school. Mr Atujuna said the school combined its candidates with 45 others from Rwangara Primary School, and the exams were conducted at the Rwenyena IDP camp in makeshift classrooms.
In West Nile
Four candidates of Jiako Primary School in Arua City, Ali Agu, Fahad Rashid, Juma Yanan, and Yusuf Andrunga, missed the examinations after they discovered that they were not registered. At Arua Hill Primary school, a Uneb scout was on Tuesday morning handed over to the police on Tuesday morning after he allegedly reported for duty while drunk and attempted to slap a candidate. In Adjumani District, education officials said a total of 5,901 candidates, both nationals and refugees, sat for their examinations across 45 Uneb centres in the district.
In Gulu City, a 17-year-old female candidate with hearing impairment, Elizabeth Agenorwot, is among 39 candidates who sat for PLE at Laroo Primary School in Gulu City. Unfortunately, Uneb failed to assign her a transcriber. Mr Ernest Ndinawe, the Mbarara DEO, said a total of 3,517 candidates sat exams in the district, but one of the girls failed to turn up. Mr Godfrey Nkuba, the Isingiro DEO, said: ‘The only challenge we got is exams reaching a bit late in hard-to-reach areas, but otherwise everything went on well, and I hope all candidates will pass.’