Schools to withhold results of defaulting candidates

Schools have urged parents and guardians with learners in candidate classes to clear their outstanding school fees balances.
Head teachers, under their umbrella organisation the National Private Educational Institutions’ Association (NPEIA), warned that they would withhold results of candidates with school fees balances when they are released next year.
This comes four days to the start of the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations.

Speaking on the sidelines of the dedication Mass for all the candidates in Kampala organised by the head teachers yesterday, Mr Enoch Kagoda, the director of Trust High School, said:  “Parents have not been able to pay school fees on time. We have decided to permit them to sit for the exams and we shall withhold their results until they clear their dues [when results are released].” 
He added: “We cannot block candidates, who spent two years at home during Covid-19 without studying, from sitting for the final exams because of school fees. We need to be human.”
Mr Kagoda said more than 40 candidates in his schools have not cleared the school fees arrears.
Mr Charles Lugemwa, the head teacher of New African Child Primary School, said 40 percent of the candidates at the school have not cleared their school fees arrears.

“We have had a one-on-one engagement with the parents to draw a schedule for school fees payment before they sit for their exams but all in vain,” Mr Lugemwa said.
Senior Four candidates will be briefed tomorrow before sitting for their first paper on Monday next week.
Religious leaders from various denominations participated in prayers. 
The National Secretary General of NPEIA, Dr Charles Wako, asked the government to consider giving all schools examination apparatus.

Dr Waako, who also doubles as the director of Kaliro schools, said the government gives examination apparatus to government-aided schools, leaving private schools at a disadvantage.
“Test tubes, chemicals, and liquids we use in biology and chemistry practicals are very expensive. This has made the cost of examinations in private schools very expensive,” Dr Waako said.
Mr Kagoda said the lack of apparatus needed in the examinations has contributed to the poor performance of some schools in science subjects.
“The learners we train are not private students. They belong to the government. The government should thus be able to supply these equipment to all schools during examinations,” Mr Kagoda said.

Schools prepared for exams
Heads of school have also expressed readiness to conduct the forthcoming national examinations.
Dr Waako said candidates have already covered the abridged syllabus and are being taken through remedial lessons ahead of the exams.
The National Chairperson of NPEIA, Mr Hasadu Kirabira, said the abridged curriculum that was rolled out by the Ministry of Education has been very helpful.
He added that schools have been able to complete the topics that were outlined in the curriculum.
The Executive Director of the Uganda National Examinations Board, Mr Daniel Odongo, last year told this newspaper that it was going to use the abridged curriculum to set the 2022 national examinations.
EXAMINATIONS
A total of 1.2 million learners have been registered to sit for the 2022 examinations.
Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) will be taken on November 8 and 9.
Meanwhile, the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) will be the last set of exams to be conducted starting with the briefing of candidates on November 18. Candidates will commence their exams on November 21 with Mathematics and complete their exams on December 9.