UNEB Should Revisit Some Cases!

SIR—Recently, President Museveni told parents in Gomba that he had already asked UNEB to orgnise supplementary exams for the 13000 pupils whose results of 2001 were cancelled.The parents’ efforts to reach compromise with UNEB had failed and they had to petition the highest office. Museveni was concerned over the parents’ pain, and that is why he advised UNEB to re-examine the affected candidates but it is too late! First, UNEB will take time to register candidates, set exams, print and do everything necessary for a successful examination. These arrangements may take some two months from now.Secondly, S I students have already started. This means the new candidates are likely to join them in September! They will spend only a term in S.1. Thirdly, institutions like UNEB are likely to lose face. But in order to maintain the confidence by Ugandans in their the president, UNEB should also revisit the drastic decision of cancelling the results of so many candidates. UNEB alleged malpractices varied from school to school. There are cases where teachers were caught assisting to pupils and some were arrested but later given police bond. There are also cases which are very contentious where only UNEB received information from malicious sources that certain schools had cheated and UNEB depended on this scanty information to cancelcandidates’ results. One good example is a centre which accommodated more than one school under the same rooms and supervision. Only one school had their results cancelled and others received theirs. School 24/025 which sat with school 24/104 in Mpigi district are good examples. These schools are neighbours and had one supervisor and the same invigilators. How UNEB decided to cancel the results of one of the schools and exonerate the other, defeats logic.I therefore advise UNEB to revisit such cases, but the entire setting of new exams will be too late for the successful candidates to join S.1. the costs are likely to be more than the benefits. If UNEB can listen, I appeal to them to accept my advice to respond to public outcry. If there is to be a concession, it should benefit candidates in the category mentioned so that they can join S.1 in the second term this year. Herman B. ZziwaKampala