Primary Seven leavers tipped on making use of the holiday

A Primary Seven candidate is deemed to have passed the exams if he/she garners between Aggregate 4 and Aggregate 28. But top schools in the country usually absorb only candidates with Aggregate 4 (boys) and Aggregate 6 (girls). Those who score beyond Aggregate 28 don’t qualify for government sponsorship under the free secondary education scheme introduced in 2007.

During the long holiday, Dr Fredrick Ssempala, an education expert, says candidates have to use the holiday period to learn how to manage time.

“The inability to use time effectively is the reason many people fail to achieve life goals –both personally and professionally. Let our candidates learn how to manage time, for example, before sleeping, they should plan what they are going to do the next day, this will help them to avoid being redundant by watching television the whole day,” he says.

“If they are to watch TV, let them watch educative programmes that stimulate critical thinking and creativity.”

Dr Ssempala, who also doubles as a don at Kabale University, advises parents to engage their children in productive work.

“Our children should be encouraged to learn some productive and soft skills during this three-month holiday, they can, for example, learn baking, carpentry, computer skills, gardening, business management,’’ he says.

“This is also the time for the P7 leavers to develop their social wealth by associating with the siblings.”

Shaping character

Mr Ishaka Mbalirwa, an educationist and director of Medinah Islamic Junior School, Nsangi, says parents and guardians of P7 leavers must have helpful conversations with their children and focus on provide exciting experiences.

“This gives a great opportunity for parents to shape their children and prepare them for the next phase of their lives,” he says.

According to Mbalirwa, parents also have to empower their children, especially girls, to say no to unwanted touches, pictures and favours by adults or other children.

“Our girls should be taught to avoid keeping secrets. If anyone, mostly men, ask them to keep a secret, they should use their heads to ask why, and inform their parents or other safe adults right away. This is the trick abusers use to conceal information after defiling them,” he says. 

Meanwhile, five pupils of Kabatunda Primary School in Kabatunda-Kirabaho Town Council in Kasese District are among the unlucky candidates who missed the exams.

Kasese District registered 12,751 candidates for the 2024 PLE.

Mr Eric Meso, the school head teacher, says they registered 192 candidates, but only 187 pupils turned up for their exams. “Three of those who missed are female and their whereabouts remain unknown,’’ he says.

“I tried calling the parents of the affected pupils, but their mobile phone numbers have not gone through,” he adds. 

Also, Mr Richard Nyakurungyi, the head teacher of Kinyaminagha P/S reported that 13 candidates-three from his own school and the rest from Kibiri P/S, Kyamuduma P/S, Disusa P/S, and Kabatunda P/S missed exams.

In the eastern district of Kaliro, the director of Rise and Shine Primary School in Namukoge Trading Centre, was arrested for failing to register seven candidates with the national examinations body despite each paying Shs100,000.

Kaliro District Education officer Edward Kamaga says the affected candidates were advised on Wednesday to go back home and wait for next year.

Kayunga

In the central district of Kayunga, police are also holding the head teacher of Lion of Judah Elementary School on allegations of engaging in exam malpractices.

Ms Hellen Butoto, the Ssezibwa Regional Police spokesperson, says they acted on a tipoff from the district internal security officer.

“Three of his teachers had reportedly prepared answer sheets for both Section A and Section B of the Mathematics paper on Wednesday. Our detectives rushed to the school and retrieved the answer sheets and took them to the head teacher's office for comparison with the Uneb exam papers and it was proved that the answers were matching with the questions,”Ms Butoto says.

As detectives engaged the head teacher, Ms Butoto says the three teachers disappeared from the school compound.

“We are hunting them and also Uneb staff assigned at the affected school have also been summoned to record statements,” she adds.

Other key highlights

In Butebo District, a candidate of Matakokore P/S delivered a bouncing baby boy after writing her first paper last Wednesday. On Thursday, the candidate appeared with the baby to write the other two papers, which she successfully did. The father of the baby, according to Uneb was also a candidate at the same school and the baby was named after the Uneb Executive Director. He is called Odongo Mugaria Joseph.

In Kassada District, one candidate died on Thursday morning after doing two papers the previous day. Mackline Nakayiwa was a pupil of Lubumba Primary School, and her medical report indicates that she had a history of sickle cells and was not in good condition by the start of exams on Wednesday.

In Wakiso District, one candidate collapsed on the morning of the first day (last Wednesday) as invigilators started to check the learners. Nagirinya Lubowa, a pupil of Precious Lilies,was registered from Steven Jota P/S. She was rushed to a health centre for medication and returned 40 minutes later, thus missing the exams.

In Nsangi, still in the same district, four suspects, including the chief invigilator, two invigilators and a scout were arrested for unlawfully possessing telephones in an exam room, allegedly for purposes of aiding and abetting exam malpractice. Another invigilator was arrested at Green Hill Academy in Buwate over a similar offence.

Mpigi

In Mpigi District, police are keeping in custody seven suspects, including the head teacher of St Muggaga Boys School, Nkozi, Uneb district scout and five invigilators on allegations of providing external assistance to the candidates during the mathematics exam paper. One of the suspects was recorded writing answers on the blackboard for the candidates to copy.

In Lubowa near Kampala, the police arrested a teacher at Joy Primary School. The teacher, along with another one still at large, was found masquerading as a cleaner in the washrooms that were used by the candidates. The candidates would then excuse themselves to go to the washrooms and he, with his colleagues, would give the candidates answers to the mathematics paper.

Also, the head teacher at St Noah Junior School in Lubowa was arrested for presenting P6 learners as candidates, while the actual candidates were being taken through the mathematics paper on the morning of the paper.

In 2023, a total of 648,662 candidates (88.0 percent) out of 749,254 who registered for exams passed the exams. Some 86,582 (11.8 percent) scored First Grade. 

A total of 88,269 candidates completely failed the exams compared to 97,109 in 2022.

Compiled by Al-Mahdi Ssenkabirwa , Tausi Nakato, Denis Edema Abubaker Kirunda & Yoweri Kaguta