Third term marred by war and exam malpractices
Dec 15, 2002
Third term, which marks the end of the academic year for primary and secondary schools, closed down last week on Friday. The term began on September 23, running for close to three months
By Fortunate Ahimbisibwe
Third term, which marks the end of the academic year for primary and secondary schools, closed down last week on Friday. The term began on September 23, running for close to three months.
No doubt this was a challenging term for all stakeholders in education. This was the term of national exams for P7, S4 and S6. The candidates, parents, teachers and the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) were no doubt on tension.
Education Vision brings you some of the highlights of the term.
Examinations:
In most parts of the country, the examination season was considered successful. The practice that has troubled the country’s examination system has been checked.
For many years, examination malpractice has haunted the system. Although the cases were fewer this year, there were press reports about cheating and dubious headteachers running off with candidates’ registration fees.
In northern Uganda, Kony and his rebels wreaked havoc during the exam time.
UNEB resorted to an ambitious scheme of curbing exam malpractice. To check this practice, UNEB employed 7,000 spies.
UNEB and the ministry hope that what happened last year will not happen again. Last year, 12,065 P7 candidates had their results cancelled.
This affected 322 primary schools. At ‘O’ and ‘A’ level 736 and 76 were affected respectively. The practice was rampant especially in Masaka, Mbarara and Rukungiri.
On a positive note, the number of students sitting the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) increased to 122,504 up from 105,702, an increase of 20%. Also, 52,496 candidates sat the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE), the number has increased by over 7,000.
Northern Uganda:
Most schools in Pader remained closed at the beginning of the term. Of the over 200 primary schools, only six were operating last term.
Even when they opened, it was hard for them to operate. The problem extended to Kitgum, and parts of Lira where students and pupils have been displaced. Over 200, 000 people have been displaced.
In an attempt to save the situation, government tried to create learning centres. Children continued schooling but under desperate conditions. There are schools for war victims in Bukalasa Agricultural College in Luweero, about 3,000 children will benefit from this project.
Education officials from the war torn region demanded for preferential treatment during marking of exams and selection. However, Matthew Bukenya, UNEB boss and Namirembe Bitamazire, state minister, primary, rejected this saying that marking would be uniform all over the country.
The candidates, however, were allowed to sit exams from any centre as long as it was safe.
UNEB also managed to airlift examination papers from Gulu Police station to Kitgum and Pader districts for fear of road ambushes.
Education Sector Review
The ESR that took place in Kampala at the International Conference Centre, was the major event on the education ministry calendar. Donor agencies and other stakeholders met to review the sector’s performance.
Ministries officials ribbed their hands with glee after getting a thumbs up from donors. They went home satisfied because most of the goals had been achieved.
It was noted that more teachers were recruited to about 118,857 who are so far on government payroll.
Donors funding education, however, expressed concern over the 13% of the children who are still out of school, most of who are girls.
Government also stepped up funding to the sector from 31% to 31.7%. The UPE funding was also increased from 65% to 69.2%. Government has also agreed to increase funding to the sector up to 32.3 of the national budget.
Funding to the primary teacher training also increased.
Classroom construction did pretty well. Of the targetted 5,707 classrooms, 4,346 have been completed and are ready for use.
UPE
The success has been attributed to the School Facilities Grant (SFG), which has facilitated schools to build classrooms and latrines.
UPE saw the number of P7 candidates increase from 363,328 to 402,000, with Katakwi registering the highest increase.
About 8,000 Karimajomg children, 4,000 of them girls, enrolled for UPE.
This was as a result of the success of the Alternative Basic Education for Karamoja (ABEK) an informal programme. The programme started five years ago with the aim to integrate the Karimajong into formal education.
In Katakwi, children continued being absent from school inspite of UPE because of hunger. Food is scarce in the area.
Katakwi LC 5 Chairman, Stephen Illemukorit said that the children no longer went to school because there was no food.
This has now spread to neighbouring Moroto and Kotido.
Efforts by some Non Government Organisations (NGOs) like Feed the Children and Christian Children Fund to provide food have not been sufficient. This has been brought about by the drought and cattle rustling that have caused increased levels of poverty in the districts.
Scandals
Make no mistake about Ugandans, everything one does, another one makes a clever move and reaps out of it.
Ministry officials said that some of the failure especially in classroom construction were due to the inconsistency in the approved wok plans and the irregularities in the tendering process at the district level.
UNEB delivered a wrong paper to candidates who were offering Literature at ‘O’ level. The paper was later after it flopped on the scheduled date.
Schools were closed over lack of latrines in Kalangala, pupils could not open for the term. the El Nino rains in Bugiri have destroyed five schools. It is not clear if the rains are too strong or if the classrooms are too weak.
Former Butobere Headmaster faced dismissal for abuse of office and diversion of sh3.78m. Bernard Wakwaale sold books worth sh1.4m, which he got from Ministry of Education.
He is said to have diverted sh2m meant for invigulators in 2000. The IGG has recommended that he should be sacked immediately. Apart from the ‘sacking’ what is going to be his fate? Is he going to be charged? Is he going to refund the money?
In Jinja, Alice Kafuko, Inspector of Schools closed three private schools.
The schools were identified as, Royal mission Primary School, Prince of Peace Secondary School and Namulesa Standard Academy without alliance and no facilities.
Seven students of St. Kaggwa reportedly went missing last week. John Kalibala, the Headmaster says that the school failed to locate their whereabouts.
Third term, which marks the end of the academic year for primary and secondary schools, closed down last week on Friday. The term began on September 23, running for close to three months.
No doubt this was a challenging term for all stakeholders in education. This was the term of national exams for P7, S4 and S6. The candidates, parents, teachers and the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) were no doubt on tension.
Education Vision brings you some of the highlights of the term.
Examinations:
In most parts of the country, the examination season was considered successful. The practice that has troubled the country’s examination system has been checked.
For many years, examination malpractice has haunted the system. Although the cases were fewer this year, there were press reports about cheating and dubious headteachers running off with candidates’ registration fees.
In northern Uganda, Kony and his rebels wreaked havoc during the exam time.
UNEB resorted to an ambitious scheme of curbing exam malpractice. To check this practice, UNEB employed 7,000 spies.
UNEB and the ministry hope that what happened last year will not happen again. Last year, 12,065 P7 candidates had their results cancelled.
This affected 322 primary schools. At ‘O’ and ‘A’ level 736 and 76 were affected respectively. The practice was rampant especially in Masaka, Mbarara and Rukungiri.
On a positive note, the number of students sitting the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) increased to 122,504 up from 105,702, an increase of 20%. Also, 52,496 candidates sat the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE), the number has increased by over 7,000.
Northern Uganda:
Most schools in Pader remained closed at the beginning of the term. Of the over 200 primary schools, only six were operating last term.
Even when they opened, it was hard for them to operate. The problem extended to Kitgum, and parts of Lira where students and pupils have been displaced. Over 200, 000 people have been displaced.
In an attempt to save the situation, government tried to create learning centres. Children continued schooling but under desperate conditions. There are schools for war victims in Bukalasa Agricultural College in Luweero, about 3,000 children will benefit from this project.
Education officials from the war torn region demanded for preferential treatment during marking of exams and selection. However, Matthew Bukenya, UNEB boss and Namirembe Bitamazire, state minister, primary, rejected this saying that marking would be uniform all over the country.
The candidates, however, were allowed to sit exams from any centre as long as it was safe.
UNEB also managed to airlift examination papers from Gulu Police station to Kitgum and Pader districts for fear of road ambushes.
Education Sector Review
The ESR that took place in Kampala at the International Conference Centre, was the major event on the education ministry calendar. Donor agencies and other stakeholders met to review the sector’s performance.
Ministries officials ribbed their hands with glee after getting a thumbs up from donors. They went home satisfied because most of the goals had been achieved.
It was noted that more teachers were recruited to about 118,857 who are so far on government payroll.
Donors funding education, however, expressed concern over the 13% of the children who are still out of school, most of who are girls.
Government also stepped up funding to the sector from 31% to 31.7%. The UPE funding was also increased from 65% to 69.2%. Government has also agreed to increase funding to the sector up to 32.3 of the national budget.
Funding to the primary teacher training also increased.
Classroom construction did pretty well. Of the targetted 5,707 classrooms, 4,346 have been completed and are ready for use.
UPE
The success has been attributed to the School Facilities Grant (SFG), which has facilitated schools to build classrooms and latrines.
UPE saw the number of P7 candidates increase from 363,328 to 402,000, with Katakwi registering the highest increase.
About 8,000 Karimajomg children, 4,000 of them girls, enrolled for UPE.
This was as a result of the success of the Alternative Basic Education for Karamoja (ABEK) an informal programme. The programme started five years ago with the aim to integrate the Karimajong into formal education.
In Katakwi, children continued being absent from school inspite of UPE because of hunger. Food is scarce in the area.
Katakwi LC 5 Chairman, Stephen Illemukorit said that the children no longer went to school because there was no food.
This has now spread to neighbouring Moroto and Kotido.
Efforts by some Non Government Organisations (NGOs) like Feed the Children and Christian Children Fund to provide food have not been sufficient. This has been brought about by the drought and cattle rustling that have caused increased levels of poverty in the districts.
Scandals
Make no mistake about Ugandans, everything one does, another one makes a clever move and reaps out of it.
Ministry officials said that some of the failure especially in classroom construction were due to the inconsistency in the approved wok plans and the irregularities in the tendering process at the district level.
UNEB delivered a wrong paper to candidates who were offering Literature at ‘O’ level. The paper was later after it flopped on the scheduled date.
Schools were closed over lack of latrines in Kalangala, pupils could not open for the term. the El Nino rains in Bugiri have destroyed five schools. It is not clear if the rains are too strong or if the classrooms are too weak.
Former Butobere Headmaster faced dismissal for abuse of office and diversion of sh3.78m. Bernard Wakwaale sold books worth sh1.4m, which he got from Ministry of Education.
He is said to have diverted sh2m meant for invigulators in 2000. The IGG has recommended that he should be sacked immediately. Apart from the ‘sacking’ what is going to be his fate? Is he going to be charged? Is he going to refund the money?
In Jinja, Alice Kafuko, Inspector of Schools closed three private schools.
The schools were identified as, Royal mission Primary School, Prince of Peace Secondary School and Namulesa Standard Academy without alliance and no facilities.
Seven students of St. Kaggwa reportedly went missing last week. John Kalibala, the Headmaster says that the school failed to locate their whereabouts.