Delays, bad roads, floods hit first day of PLE

On the whole, examinations kicked off well, with candidates sitting for their Mathematics paper in the morning. But some schools grappled with delays beyond their control.

Slippery roads exacerbated by the ongoing torrential rains that hit various districts, partly contributed to the late delivery of Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) papers at some Uneb centres countrywide, forcing invigilators to start the exercise an hour late.

On the whole, examinations kicked off well, with candidates sitting for their Mathematics paper in the morning, followed by Social Studies and Religious Education in the afternoon.

In some districts like Ntoroko, Kaberamaido, Wakiso, Gulu, Gomba, Lyantonde, Buvuma, Kalangala,Mityina, Rakai, Kyotera and Buikwe, the delay was partly blamed on poor road network and ill-preparation of some schools.

In Wakiso District, which has the highest concentration of primary schools in the country, Mr Fredrick Kiyingi, the District Education Officer of Wakiso, said he had received reports that some candidates arrived 30 minutes late.

“We had a briefing on Monday and spoke about all those things. Coming late for exams is an implication of malpractice. If candidates don’t watch out, they risk missing other papers,” Mr Kiyingi warned.

Wakiso District has 38,000 candidates sitting from 385 centres. For example at Kavumba C/U Primary School exam centre, which has candidates from four different schools, candidates from Gate Way Primary School arrived at the venue at 9:22am. Teachers at Kavumba said they tried reaching out to the teachers of such schools before 8am, but they were not picking up their calls.

Mr Samuel Ssebunya, the head teacher of Kavumba C/U, said the delay by some candidates forced them to start at 10am. “One of the teachers told me that their school van developed a mechanical problem along the way,” he said.

The Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) had earlier warned that candidates who arrive 15 minutes late shouldn’t be allowed to sit the exams.

Uneb spokesperson Jennifer Kalule said despite a few hiccups, the exams kicked off well across the country.

In the island district of Buvuma, candidates started an hour late as the team transporting the exams was delayed on the way due to turbulent waves on Lake Victoria. Buvuma District education officer Hussein Bugembe cited Kirewe Primary School, Luufu, Namatale, Buyuba, whose candidates started exams late.

“We ask Uneb to work with police and they transport the exams using marine boats which can manoeuvre through strong waves on the lake,” he said Buvuma registered 595 candidates at 17 centres, of which 309 are girls.

In the northern city of Gulu, the assistant inspector of schools, Ms Proscovia Aber, said exams started smoothly except at one school where a bad road caused delay in delivering the materials.

“One challenge of roads leading to Paminano Primary School caused us to delay by about 40 minutes because the bridge was submerged. We were forced to walk using another route,” she said.

According to Ms Aber, while all the 40,618 candidates reported for their papers, only a candidate with disability at Gulu P/S suffered a seizure since she is a sickler.

Mr Denis Okwera, the head teacher of Gulu Primary School, where five of the total 115 candidates are visually-impaired, said exams did not start in time due to poor coordination among school heads who use the same centre.

“We were delayed by more than 30 minutes, it seems when they [teachers] were making arrangements yesterday [November 5] and were not aware of the stipulated number of candidates. There were also issues of cards and index numbers,” Mr Okwera said.

In Adjumani District, at least 5,501 candidates are sitting exams at 45 centres.

The Principal Education officer of Adjumani, Mr Philip Akuku, said roads leading to some centres are bad, especially the Ayilo exam centre, which was not accessible.

At Pakele Girls Primary School, which has 23 candidates with special needs, eight of them required sign language interpreters, five needed large printing materials and the rest required intellectual interpreters, according to the head teacher, Ms Delphin Adrupio.

Ms Adrupio said she only had two invigilators who could interpret and that they also lacked the large printing materials.

Some schools with fewer numbers of candidates were forced to register learners from lower classes to sit PLE exams.

Mr James William Omola, the head teacher of Omola Daycare and Nursery School, Wakiso District, revealed that of their five candidates, one skipped one class to sit this year’s final exams.

“We had intensive revision with our learners, sleepless nights and sat several examination sets. We are convinced that they will get good grades,” he said.

In the central district of Kalungu, four candidates failed to show up on Day One. Of the four candidates that missed, two are of Kabale P/S in Kyamulibwa Sub County.

According to Mr Mpaaka Mbagatuzimbe, the district inspector of schools, the exams at some centres started a bit late because of the poor road network.

“Candidates at some centres started 30minutes late, but this was beyond our control and we pray that it doesn’t rain on the second day of exercise,” he said.

In Ntoroko District, where flooding has been a major issue, candidates from schools like Umoja, Rwangara, Kachwakumu, and Kamuga—conducted their exams at an internally displaced camp in Rwenyena.

The exams took place under Uneb centre number of Rwangara Primary School, which was displaced by the floods, but the exams happened in tents.

At this centre, a total of 86 candidates from the affected schools were registered to sit for their exams, although three of them were absent.

In Bukomansimbi, at Misanvu Demonstration School, Ms Florence Nakabuye, the head teacher, expressed concern over the need to deploy invigilators who knew how to effectively communicate with the visually impaired candidates .

“We ask Uneb to address this in subsequent exams,” she pleaded.

At Butenga C/U, out of the 95 who registered, 94 including a 14-year-old girl who gave birth to a bouncing baby girl on Tuesday sat for their exams. One of the candidates died in the middle of the term, according to the school head Mr Peter Nkambwe.

In Yumbe, a 16-year-old female candidate at Okubani P/S failed to sit for the exams after delivering through a caesarian section yesterday morning. Ms Flora Ayakaka, the school head teacher, said they visited the candidate three days ago at her home and were optimistic to sit for the exams.

"We prepared the girl to sit for the PLE, But unfortunately, her labour started at 1am. She was then taken to Okubani Health Centre III for delivery. But she couldn’t manage to push the baby at the facility. She was then referred to Yumbe Regional Referral Hospital,’’ she said. “The information we got from the hospital indicates that the girl needed about six hours to rest, meaning she missed the exams,” he added.

In Arua District, a 54 -year-old Lay leader Rufus Amaku who had dropped out of school in the 1990s, sat for his papers at Aya Primary school in Ajia Sub-county.

While in Arua City, most of the schools received papers early. In some schools like Hope International Primary School, candidates who commute from their homes, were allowed to reside in the school for four days to avoid late coming and provide ample time for revision. Candidates of Igoti Primary School in Apac District sat their exams from a nearby school over poor roads and flooding of the school.

A total of 21 candidates left their school two days ago and pitched at Chakali Primary School in Tarogali Par[1]ish, where they are now writing their papers.

Mr Oscar Okello, the head teacher of Igoti Primary School, said floods started in September when heavy rains hit the area.

“Last year, we suffered the same floods, which made our candidates sit the PLE in a nearby church,” he said.

Mr Alex Ogota, the Ibuje Sub-county chairperson, said: “We have endured poor roads for almost a decade and I ask the district leaders to come to our rescue.”

In Nebbi Municipality, at Nyacara Primary School, a six- months-old pregnant candidate was allowed to sit for her papers.

The head teacher of the school, Mr Epiphany Ocan, said they allowed the candidate to sit her final papers because it is her right to education. In Koboko Municipality, according to Mr Mohammed Boboli, the head teacher of Nyarilo Primary School, said of the total of 181 candidates registered, four did not report for the morning paper.

At Koboko Primary School, the morning paper started 15 minutes late at this centre, which has seven schools. In a heartening display of resilience, 37 inmates – all male from different prisons in Ankole sub region sat their exams at Mbarara Main Prison School.

Regrettably, female inmates were unable to sit their exams since they lack teachers in the female section.

“We are confident that our candidates are going to make it because we have done our part, we have prepared them well and they have all that is required to make them pass,” Ms Winnie Musanyana, the head teacher, said.

In Kampala, exams started late at some centres due to heavy traffic, and several candidates missed their exams for various reasons. At Police Children School, Nsambya, exam papers arrived around 9:45 am, though candidates were already inside the rooms by 9am. A double-cabin vehicle marked “Emergency, PLE, arrived at 9:45am.

Ms Zamzam Kaliyo, the director of Creamland Primary School in Zana, confirmed that papers arrived around 9:20am and that all the 97 candidates started writing their exams 10 minutes later. In the eastern districts of Tororo and Mbale, the exams started well despite the early morning downpour.

According to Mr Denis Francis Tabu, the Tororo District inspector of schools, scouts picked the exams early enough and reached the schools in time. Uganda Prisons Service spokesperson Mr Frank Baine said a total of 323 inmates are sitting their papers from 18 prison exam centres across the country.

In Soroti, at least 15 candidates with disabilities are sitting for PLE at St Francis School for the Blind –Madera. Meanwhile, a candidate from Stephen Jota Primary School in Wakiso District missed the first paper after collapsing.

Uneb spokesperson, Ms Kalule said the school is expected to write to Uneb to forge a way forward for the affected candidate.

In Lubowa on Entebbe Road, Ms Kalule reported that two teachers masquerading as cleaners to cheat exams for learners were detected. However, the teacher evaded arrest.

In Mityana District, Ms Kalule said 10 candidates from St Mary’s Mugoya Primary School missed exams after the teachers failed to register them with the examination body.

Meanwhile, seven candidates from Pioneer Primary School sitting centre in Soroti City failed to turn up for the examinations. Mr Alfred Enyidu, the head teacher Pioneer Primary School explained that they tried looking for the candidates in vain.

Compiled by Al-mahdi Ssenkabirwa, Felix Ainebyoona, Julius Byamukama,- Gertrude Mutyaba ,David Sekayinga, Malik Fahd, Catherine Ankunda, Noeline Nabukenya, Muzafaru Nsubuga, Jessica Nabukenya ,Gertrude Mutyaba ,Hanifah Nanyanzi, Denis Edema, Alex Ashaba ,Denis Ssebwami, Joseph Omollo, Fred Wambede, Suzan Nanjala, Felix Warom Okello, Clement Aluma, Ronald Acema, Damali Mukhaye, Robert Elema, Alex Ashaba, Jane Nafula, Shabibah Nakirigya Rashul Adidi, Patrick Okaba, Emmy D Ojara, Issa Aliga, Marko Taibot, Julius Byamukama, Felix Ainebyoona, Teddy Dokotho,Regan Ocaya, Tobbias J Owiny ,Santo Ojok, Karim Muyobo & Priscillah Maloba.

Figures

A total of 798,763 candidates of which 419,357 are female, registered to sit this year’s PLE exams at over 14,000 centres across the country.  

Uneb deployed 13,000 scouts, chief supervisors and invigilators and district monitors to man the exams. There are also an additional 600 undercover spies beefing up the team.

Today, candidates will sit for Integrated Science Paper in the morning, followed by English Paper in the afternoon.