These marks aren't mine, says journalist who repeated S6 to change judiciary
Ugandan journalist Perez Rumanzi gestures in an examination room ahead of the start of a History paper during the UACE examinations at Kyamate Secondary School on November 13, 2023. PHOTO/ELLY KATAHINGA
What you need to know:
- When journalist Perez Rumanzi repeated S6 final exams in 2023, he hoped to score maximum 20 points.
- Results he showed to this publication indicate he fell far from his expectations.
A 39-year-old Ugandan journalist who in 2023 repeated Senior Six examinations after 20 years has petitioned the Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) over “unfairly marking his Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) examinations.”
Ntungamo District Monitor correspondent Perez Rumanzi was among 165 students who sat UACE at Kyamate Secondary School in Ntungamo District, offering History, Literature and Divinity/ICT.
“I got 9/20 points. I feel proud of my points, but I’m dissatisfied with my points in Literature and Divinity,” Rumanzi said.
“This is why I’m going to seek remarking because I got an F9 in Literature paper I and a pass 8 in Divinity paper II yet I believe those were my best papers,” the father of three further told Monitor after results of 109,488 the 2023 UACE candidates who turned up were released Thursday.
Results he showed this publication indicate he scored a C in History, an E in Divinity, an O in Literature as well as CST-6 and GEP-4.
“I want to seek remarking such that I can be satisfied because these marks may not be mine. These are not my points,” he added.
Last year, Rumanzi put aside what he termed a “hectic Monitor schedule” to re-sit his S6, hoping to become a lawyer and advocate for the less privileged in Uganda.”
“What forced me back to school are three things… one is to be a lawyer and change the face of the judiciary since the one we have is rotten due to corruption. Secondly, the Ntungamo Lions Club appointed me to be its coordinator for youth but I’m a bit outdated on youth matters,” Rumanzi noted last year.
Coming to the 2023 UACE, Rumanzi sought to improve results posted as he scored 13/25 points, taking History, Economics, Literature and Geography (HEL/G) in 2003 before Uneb changed the grading system around 2015.
“…and also, I was not serious while studying previously. So, when I looked at the syllabus by then and now, things have changed, and I need to understand global issues. Therefore, I thought I should challenge myself because when one completes a degree, he or she thinks of up grading for masters and PHD. I thought I should go back, and I rectify those errors before going for masters,” he explained his decision emphasizing that he was “optimistic to score maximum 20 points.”
“I know Uneb is a government entity that can give me the justice I want because these marks are injustice. I want my marks and I will not settle unless I get my clear points,” Rumanzi vowed late March 7.
