By George Bukenya
The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has vowed to prosecute government aided schools’ head teachers who fraudulently register private candidates as Universal Primary Education (UPE) learners, saying this is not only against the rules and regulations but also make the examining body and government loose funds.
The National Examining body’s Executive Director Dr.Dan Nakroch Odongo issued the warning while speaking at the annual seminar for Inspectors of Schools and CAOs on the management of the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) at the UNEB Centers in Kyambogo.
“ Errant Heads of such schools found guilty will be surcharged and may have their candidates’ results withheld and they even risk being prosecuted because that contravenes with the UNEB Act.’’ Dr. Odongo warned.
“This is fraudulent. It is also covered in the UNEB Act, and we expect some of these cases to be subjected to the full force of the law,” he emphases.
He however, said candidates who are discovered to have been registered as UPE learners yet are privately sponsored will be allowed to sit for their examinations, but the schools responsible will be required to refund the examination fees owed to UNEB.
He also warned that where schools fail to pay, UNEB may withhold the candidates’ results until the outstanding fees are cleared.
Dr. Odongo said some private schools have been registering candidates as UPE learners even when parents have already paid examination fees of about Shs34,000, in addition to other school charges.
The examining body has of recent observed a rush by head teachers to correct such registrations, warning that late corrections attract additional charges.
The Executive Director also warned examination officials, head teachers and other education officers against involvement in examination malpractice, saying the problem has increasingly moved from outside examination centers into examination rooms.
He said some invigilators have allowed unauthorized people into examination rooms or have been compromised to assist candidates.
“The fight is not yet over. Malpractice is a crime, and like all other crimes of corruption and fraud, the fight has to be continuous,” he said.
He said proper seating arrangements, adequate spacing of candidates and strict adherence to examination guidelines could further reduce malpractice.
Dr. Odongo said UNEB’s Examination Security Committee can withdraw examination-centre status for periods ranging from one to five years, depending on the severity of the offence.
A school can only regain examination-center status after UNEB conducts through assessment and is satisfied that the institution has addressed the weaknesses that led to the malpractice.
He also revealed to the media that UNEB had discovered cases where two or three distribution routes were being allocated to different distributors who travelled in the same vehicle along the same route. Saying such practices create unnecessary costs and deny other districts that genuinely require additional distribution routes.
Odongo described the practice as bordering on fraud and urged district officials to ensure that distribution routes are genuine and efficiently managed.
On payment for examination markers and rising operational costs, Odongo said UNEB was reviewing the issue within the limits of its available resources, noting that examination fees were last revised in 2017, while operational costs have since gone up.
“ We have raised the matter with the Ministry of Finance and hoped the Government would provide additional funding’.’’
The Chief Guest, Frances Atima, Principal Inspector of Schools, who represented the Minister of State for Education, John Chrysostom Muyingo, urged district inspectors and school authorities to enforce regulations governing school operations.
Atima particularly warned against schools keeping learners in class late into the evening in preparation for examinations.
She said children should have adequate time to rest and should generally leave school at about 4:30pm, rather than being kept in class until late at night.
She also cited complaints from parents about children, including girls, travelling home after 7pm and facing security risks.
Atima also directed district inspectors to intensify inspections before examinations, saying that inspectors should check the suitability and security of examination rooms, candidates’ identities, seating arrangements, required facilities, special-needs access arrangements and the readiness of examination officials.
She however warned that officers who neglect their duties or compromise examinations should face administrative and disciplinary action, further urging inspectors to monitor continuous assessment, warning that some schools could manipulate or inflate learners’ scores.