UNEB creates new PLE examination centre in Kampala to deter further spread

KAMPALA | MOES | UNEB | MOH | EBOLA

The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) says it has created a new examination center in Kampala in a bid to deter the further spread of Ebola.

The center will be located at Green Valley Primary School in Lubaga Division and will seat only 30 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) candidates, UNEB’s Executive Director, Dan Odongo, said Friday (November 4).

He explained that 29 of the 30 candidates to sit in the center are pupils of Green Valley Primary School. He explained that the other candidate is from a nearby school.

Rubaga is one of the divisions in Kampala on the Ministry of Health watch list after at least six pupils there tested positive for Ebola last week. Three schools, including Green Valley Primary School, Mirembe Nursery, and Godswill Primary, have since then had some of the pupils placed in isolation to control the spread of the virus.

Speaking to journalists at the Uganda Media Centre on Friday, Odongo said Green Valley Primary School does not have a center, and the school’s candidates had registered to write exams at a nearby school. However, he said some of the school's pupils are under surveillance, which would make it risky for them to mix with other children. 

“The board agreed to have those 29 candidates write their examinations from their school." "This is to ensure that, although they are not showing signs and symptoms, they are still under surveillance to ensure that they do not come in contact with other candidates,” he said.

He explained that for the two districts of Mubende and Kassanda, which are under lockdown, they are working with the Ministry of Health and UNICEF to put in place mechanisms as to how the UNEB and other field examination officials will be moving to conduct the examinations.

“UNICEF is providing transportation in the form of vans, which will be useful in transporting the necessary personnel who must move during the examinations,” he said, adding that with a few additional measures they are conducting with local leaders in the districts, they are confident that the exams will be conducted safely despite the threat of Ebola.

As of November 3, there were 48 deaths from Ebola, 54 recoveries, and 131 cumulative confirmed cases.