As the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations commenced on Monday, there were isolated incidents of candidates missing the examination for not being registered. In Ntungamo District, one Precious Kembabazi, 21, said she only learnt last Friday that she would not sit for her final examinations because she was not registered by Ruhanga SDA Secondary School in Itojo Sub-county, Ntungamo District, where she has been studying.
‘I showed up for the briefing, and this is when I knew that I was not registered with the Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) after the deputy head teacher made the revelation,’ Kembabazi said.
She said prior to the briefing of candidates last Friday, the school administration had suspended her from school after leaving the premises without permission and asked her to come back on the briefing day.
Kembabazi, who completed her Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) from Kagongi Preparatory Primary School and joined Mama Janet girls’ Secondary School, Nyakyera, later joined Ruhanga SDA Secondary School in Senior Three.
She says she had lost her Primary Seven result slip, which was a prerequisite for registration, and the deputy head teacher advised her parents to go to Uneb headquarters in Kampala to sort out her registration.
‘Having been allowed to do mock exams and continue to stay in school like other students, I thought the issue had been resolved. I was surprised to be told that my aunt brought the result slip to school late, and thus, I could not be registered. No one informed me about it,’ she said.
The sixth child of Mr Herbert Ruhinda of Kayenje in Rweikiniro Sub-county is seeking justice because she does not want to lose her time.
‘My parents may wish to give up, but I will not. I want justice, but I also need to complete this level. We are told that in this system [new O-Level curriculum], if you do not do the exams, you go back to Senior One. I do not want this to happen to me. I have been in class for four years, did everything, I need to sit my papers and complete the level,’ she said.
The deputy head teacher, Mr Jonathan Kamugisha, said at registration, Kembabazi had a photocopy of the PLE pass slip, yet Uneb required the original copy.
‘Her family said it could have been confiscated by her aunt, with whom she lived. A case was reported to the police, and the aunt was arrested, but could not produce the pass slip in time. She only brought it in August, when even late registration was done,’ he explained.
Ntungamo Resident District commissioner, Ms Mariam Kagaiga, however, said the matter must be fully investigated and anyone responsible for failing the candidate to sit her final exams must be arrested.
‘If there is anyone to be arrested, we have to arrest them. This girl comes from an area where finishing Senior Four is a miracle; many drop out before Primary Seven and get married. If the parents are involved or the school or relatives, we must know and they will be held accountable,’ she said.
Rweikiniro Sub-county has the highest percentage of school drop-outs in Ntungamo District, with at least 75 percent of the girls who enrol for Primary One not completing Primary Seven.