Some schools on Tuesday started the Primary Leaving Examinations-PLE without invigilators. In Mukono District, Seeta Umea Primary School, St Catherine Primary School, Kimanje Primary School, and Jinja Misindye Primary School, exams started before the arrival of invigilators.
URN has established that some of the schools had already contacted the District Education Officer-DEO and Mukono Municipality Inspector of Schools seeking replacement of invigilators. The DEO, Rashid Kikomeko said that it was disappointing that some teachers who had been contracted failed to carry out the supervisory role at schools and never communicated in advance.
Kikomeko noted that as a department, they were working around the clock to replace those who had not reported. Mukono Municipality Inspector of Schools Olivia Bulya, says that they had been overwhelmed by the number of invigilators who failed to turn up but were looking for replacements.
Meanwhile, save for a few areas, exams kicked off as scheduled across the country. In Lira City, examination containers were opened at 8:30 am and distribution started right away.
At Rhima examination center located at Rhima Primary School, a total of 152 candidates from three different schools; Acwikot, Phroebel, and Rhima are sitting for PLE and the invigilators and scouts started arriving by 7 am.
In Otuke district, most of the schools received the question papers early and the examination started on time. At Alutkot Primary School, Lucy Florence Awino, the head teacher says the question papers arrived early.
In Fort Portal City, at 7: 15 am, the distribution of examinations to school head teachers started at the Fort Portal Police Barracks where the examinations are kept. During distribution, priority was given to head teachers who are from far schools and hard-to-reach areas.
At Kitante Primary School, all candidates except a few were at the school by 8 am ready for the exams. They were hosted in the school hall, where teachers spoke to them advising them to be confident. The candidates were introduced to their invigilators who were about 20.
The Chief Invigilator, Timothy Ssali Ssalongo, a teacher at Nakasero Primary School urged candidates to follow the examination rules.
Although in some schools, the pupils arrived early, they converged outside the classrooms waiting for the examinations to arrive. Olwa Amar Moses, the head teacher of Acwikot Primary School says they were informed about the late delivery of examination papers.
The late arrival of learners was also a key feature in this year’s examination. According to UNEB guidelines, candidates are expected to be at the examination centers, minutes earlier to be checked and settled in; however, many candidates were seen arriving five minutes before or past 9 am. For instance, at St Joseph Nansana Primary School, about five schools out of the 19 that are sitting their exams from this main center were late.
Margret Nabakooza, the head of the center, appeared puzzled when some candidates had not turned up. “Some schools are not yet here. We had a briefing with them yesterday and we said that all learners should be here at 8; 30a.m,” the seemingly disturbed Nabakooza told the UNEB scouts.
At Lira Primary School, at 8:23 am, 164 candidates of Lira Primary School were outside chatting with their head teacher as they waited for 100 candidates from three other schools.
Benson Ario, wondered why the other schools delayed, saying that they will not allow their disorganization to affect their learners. The same challenge was cited at St. Paul Primary School in Kyebando where Bright Community Primary School was supposed to sit their papers from.
The candidates arrived at 8:30 am, prompting the head teacher to caution them because they were supposed to be at the centre before 8:00 am. “I want you here tomorrow by 8 am, I want the highest degree of discipline. I also don’t want visitors here, nobody is supposed to move out of the gate before the final exam of the day. No parent should come here to pick a child before the final exam”, Jackson Erima the headteacher said.
Some schools also observed the Standard Operating Procedures-SOPs. At Buhinga Primary School in Fort Portal City, there were three hand-washing points for the candidates and UNEB officials.
At Kitante Primary School in Kampala, there were hand-washing facilities installed at different points. There were also sanitizers at the entrance of the different examination rooms.
Across many parts of the country, the weather condition was conducive unlike previously when it rained heavily on the first day of the exams. Eric Mugasa the Headteacher of Buhinga Primary School said that they were afraid that the weather would disrupt them however, it didn’t rain, and all the 227 pupils who were registered turned up for the examinations.
However, in Arua District, the early morning downpour delayed the transportation of exams to schools. Some of the head teachers arrived at around 8:50 am to pick up the examination materials. Charles Kaunda, the district monitor for Arua City and Arua Main told Uganda Radio Network that the rains had disorganized the distribution of the exam materials.
Raymond Ombere, the Arua City Principal Education Officer said although they had been disorganized by the rain, they did not record any anomaly with the packing of the examination papers.
The rains also caused delays in the start of exams at Arua Islamic Primary School Center in Arua City. Haji Swale Onzima, the head teacher at Arua Islamic Primary school center said two candidates did not turn up for the examination due to unknown reasons.
In Mbale City, schools had by 8:40 am not yet received PLE papers. Edith Musundi, the Headteacher of Namatala Primary School, said the exams are delivered by one vehicle in the entire Mbale city. “These people only have one vehicle, which is to supply us all, so this is going make us start late,” Musundi said.
In many schools that URN reporters visited, candidates who had school fees arrears were allowed to sit for their exams. At Kahungabunyoyi Primary School in Fort Portal, Adah Ahurra the Headmistress said parents who had not completed school fees were made to write commitment letters promising to pay the fees as soon as possible.
In Mukono district, Police clashed with distributors of PLE papers over the safe transportation of examination papers. Most of the distributors preferred moving on Boda Bodas alone without security personnel which police led by Sergeant David Alochi, the Division head of deployments rejected saying examinations would not be safe.
The disagreement delayed the distribution of exams to most of the schools within the municipality. Most of the distributors left Mukono Police Station at around 8:55 am to start battling the heavy traffic jam along Kampala-Jinja Highway.
It took the intervention of the Municipality Schools Inspector, Olivia Bulya to convince distributors to travel with police officers on the same motorcycles to save learners from starting the exams late.
In Madi Okollo District, Shem Ovua said there was confusion in the packing of examination papers for schools in Ewanga Sub County in Lower Madi county which were packed together with the examination papers for schools in Upper Madi County. He said that by 9:30 am examinations at Envenga Primary School examination center in Rigbo Sub-county where schools from Ewanga sub-county sit, had not kicked off due to the anomaly.
There were also cases of candidates who never turned up for the exams. At Kyanamira Primary School in Kyanamira sub-county, Kabale district out of 63 candidates who registered four did not turn up, according to Bernard Turyasingura, the head teacher.
Turyasingura said that the candidates dropped out and joined brick-laying.
A total of 832, 810 candidates are expected to sit this year’s PLE from 14,153 examination centers starting with Mathematics in the morning and SST in the afternoon and ending with science and English on Wednesday.
–URN
