By Nasser Kasozi Akandwanaho/Nabandeke Kwagalakwe
The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) on Thursday released the 2022 examination timetables for Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE), and the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) examinations.
Addressing the press at the media center on Thursday UNEB Executive secretary Dan Odongo said in line with the Board’s policy of inclusiveness and equitable assessment of learners’ achievements, said that braille version of the time tables have been provided to cater for learners with visual impairment.
He also says that soft copies of the time tables are being uploaded on school portals, while the printed copies are now being packed along with other examination stationery.
Odongo further said that heads of examination centers and district inspectors of schools will be notified on when to pick the materials. Head teachers who registered blind candidates have been advised to pick the brailed time tables along with other stationery.
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Daniel odongo said that, the timetables include regulations on the conduct of the examinations and caution to candidates on acts that amount to examination malpractice. Head teachers have been requested to ensure that all necessary steps are taken to brief the candidates to follow these regulations and the caution given.
‘Failure to comply with the regulations and caution indicated in the timetable shall lead to cancellation of results of a candidate at the center or disqualification from the examination,” Odongo added.
The cases of examination malpractice that can lead to disqualification, cancellation of results or arrest of a candidate have been clearly spelt out on the timetable, and parents have been advised to take keen interest in the timetable so as to support the candidates in every way possible.
This year’s examinations will commence on 14th October, 2022 with the briefing of UCE candidates, which is the first series of the examinations to be conducted, and will run until 18th November 2022.
The second series of the examinations will be PLE, which will be conducted from 7th– 9th November with briefing of the candidates on Monday 7th November.
UACE examinations will commence on 18th November and will conclude on 9th December 2022. The Board has appealed to the head teachers to conduct briefings personally, to avoid any arising of malpractices and irregularities that may arise with poor briefing of candidates.
A total of 1,280,172 candidates have registered for all the three levels of the final examinations, which indicates a percentage increase of 7.7% of the total candidature. 56% of the candidates (751,336) are learners sponsored by the government while 44% (564,836) are privately sponsored according to UNEB.
There are more females (647,373) who have registered for the final examinations this year, compared to their male counterparts who stand at 632,799.
UNEB Directs Schools to Display Registers of Candidates!
Accordingly the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has directed all head teachers of primary and secondary schools to display the registers of candidates who are going to sit for this year’s final national examinations.
In a letter addressed to head teachers, UNEB executive director Dan Odongo noted that this activity should be carried out effective August 13. “The register should be displayed in a conspicuous place at the school notice board to enable candidates to review and confirm their status of registration as well as their bio-data,” the letter dated August 11th reads in part.
Odongo also noted that the heads of the centers should also avail copies of the register to the district education officers who will as well display them in a visible place accessible by any interested party, including but not limited to parents, candidates, district officials, and any other authorities.
Previously, some head teachers have been found of misusing students’ registration fees, leaving the affected candidates stranded on the day of examinations. However, the new UNEB Act 2021, which was passed in April last year, gave the board powers to direct all schools and UNEB centers
to display registered candidates for a period of sixty days.
During the display, concerned parties are expected to confirm the learner’s candidature, and cross-check candidates’ names and spelling, candidates’ photographs, date of birth, photos of candidates, and subjects offered by the learners.
Over the years, many people have made mistakes, more so in their names and subjects offered. For instance, last year, several students at Wakiso School for the deaf realized that they had registered for a different paper on the day of the examination, which created challenges in the processing of their results.
Besides the manual register, UNEB has also provided an option to confirm the registration status of candidates using the mobile short messaging service (SMS). To confirm one’s UNEB registration status using this method, one needs to know the full index number of the candidate, then type reg, leave Space, type full index number, and send it to 6600 on all mobile networks (service charges apply).
Parents or other interested parties are advised to immediately notify the school administrators of any irregularities that need to be corrected after using either the manual register or the electronic system. The school administration will then tell UNEB to make the necessary changes.
This year’s examination will be conducted from October to December as the case was prior to the COVID-19 school closures, according to UNEB’s roadmap.
He said Exams for S.4 students are scheduled to take place between October 14 and November 18, P.7 candidates from November 7 to 9, and S.6 candidates from November 18 to December 9.
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