A total of 1,739 personnel have been dispatched across the country to oversee the ongoing examinations and prevent any instances of malpractice.
This team comprises 539 security officers and 1,200 scouts.
Jennifer Kalule Musamba from the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) stated that UNEB, in collaboration with various security agencies, is dedicated to ensuring the successful implementation of the new curriculum. She mentioned that UNEB has also formally requested through its legal officer the establishment of a special court to address cases of examination malpractice and still waiting for feedback.
“We strongly warn against involvement in any forms of examination malpractice or even facilitating it in any way. Anyone who will be found culpable will be dealt with in accordance to the UNEB act 2021,” he added.
More girls than boys
During a press briefing at the police headquarters in Naguru on October 14, 2024, Kalule announced that this year, a total of 379,748 candidates are set to take part in two examination sessions, with 369,601 participating in the inaugural New Lower Secondary Curriculum (NLSC).
Notably, among those registered for the transitional examination, 5,559 are female, accounting for 54.7%.
“The total candidature for the two sets of examinations is 379, 748. Of these, 10,147 are Transitional candidates, while 369, 601 are the pioneers of the new curriculum. More females, 5,559 (54.7%) registered for the Transitional examination,” she noted.
The number of pioneering female candidates for the NLSC is 187,870, making up 50.8% of the total, while male candidates total 181,727, representing 49.2%.
These candidates will be examined across 4,168 centers, including the Upper Prison Luzira, where 28 inmates and 825 candidates with special needs.
UNEB set October 30, 2024 as the deadline for submitting Continuous Assessment (CA) scores and candidates who fail to submit these scores risk not receiving grades from UNEB.
“We call all upon stakeholders to pay serious consideration to the security of examinations and its sacredness because it is the only way for UNEB to be sure that the learners who have gone through their system have the grades and certificates that reflect their true abilities,” he noted.
She cautioned school administrators to avoid withholding candidates from exams over unpaid school fees, stressing that blocking candidates due to fee balances is a major threat to the security of the exams and can greatly affect their performance.
She went on to urged all examination centres to follow guidelines by providing clean water, soap or hand sanitizers, and regulary disinfect desks and other public surfaces to prevent the spread of M-Pox.
The Uganda Police Force spokeperson, Rusoke Kituuma said police is closely working with UNEB to ensure the safety of UNEB materials both in storage, in transit, to and from the schools.
He said police have deployed liaison officers at each UNEB examination center to ease immediate communications in case of any unlikely incidents.
