Candidates do not have to miss final exams
MONDAY October 16, 2006 was a nightmare for students of a school in Masaka who were unable to sit for their Uganda Certificate Examinations (UCE) because their headmaster, Francis Muyizzi, had neglected to register them for their final examinations.
By Brenda Kamulegeya
MONDAY October 16, 2006 was a nightmare for students of a school in Masaka who were unable to sit for their Uganda Certificate Examinations (UCE) because their headmaster, Francis Muyizzi, had neglected to register them for their final examinations.
This scenario points to a big problem of students who are frustrated at the last minute in spite of doing all they can to ensure that they are ready for their final examinations.
As a procedure, schools are required to register their students for the final examinations in the first half of the year.
Ms. Eve Konde, the principal public relations officer of Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB), says this is normally done from January to April each year, with an extra month given for late entries.
Students sitting for their Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) are required to pay sh10,000 while those sitting for UCE pay a basic fee of sh7,500 and sh4,850 for each subject. Those sitting for Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) pay a basic fee of sh9,000, followed by a consequent fee of sh9,000 for each principle subject and sh5,900 for a subsidiary subject.
Mr. Moses Wambede, the head teacher at Progressive Secondary School in Bwyeyogerere says, head teachers of the various schools are required to send a list of students that they have registered to UNEB which then sends a draft register as well as a packing list showing the required examination papers.
The heads of UNEB examination centres check for accuracy and then complete a response form. Details for clarification include the name and address of the centre, candidates’ spelling of names, age, sex, and entry codes of subjects. Necessary corrections are made and students sign and the register is sent back to UNEB which sends the final register back to the school. Despite these measures in place, cases of unregistered students continue each year.
Dr. John Geoffrey Mbabazi, the director of education, Ministry of Education and Sports blames the administration of some private secondary schools for lack of compliance in sending the list of registered students to UNEB. He warns that problems are not only limited to the failure to register students in time, but also as far as examination dates are concerned.
Dr. Mbabazi also cites the draft examination timetables as another possible cause of students missing exams. These draft timetables help schools identify problems of clashes and omission of subjects. Due to negligence, however, some head teachers do not bother to get the final timetable.
Late payment of registration fees is another cause for the failure of some schools to register students on time.
Dr. Mbabazi says that some students pay this directly to head teachers who do not bank it. He, however, notes that such cases are periodically reducing because of the awareness drive put forth by the Ministry of Education and Sports.
Some schools are not registered by the ministry and this is one of the reasons why the schools may not have UNEB centre numbers, Mr. Wambede observes.
They are therefore forced to register elsewhere which is rather costly because these schools end up paying for the legal examination fees, as well as the services of the centre.
Mr. Wambede further blames some schools for misguiding students. Driven by the profit motive, certain schools take up students who do not meet the registration requirements. These include those who have either failed their PLE or UCE, or those that do not have pass slips.
With the increase of foreign students studying in Uganda, pass slips are not taken for verification to UNEB in time.
UNEB should also be informed of cases of private students. These are students who register at a particular school with a centre number but are not students of that school.
Dr. Mbabazi calls upon parents and students to be vigilant and demand that the head teachers show proof of their children's’ registration in time. For those students who miss out on their final examinations, Dr. Mbabazi advises them to report such cases to the Police as it is a criminal offense. The onus is therefore upon the Ministry of Education to ensure that schools do not operate unless they have fulfilled the requirements enabling them to be licensed.
Efforts should be intensified to ensure that all licensed schools have UNEB centres. This will help minimise high rates charged by schools with centre numbers, which costs translate to the students, leading to misappropriation of registration fees.
MONDAY October 16, 2006 was a nightmare for students of a school in Masaka who were unable to sit for their Uganda Certificate Examinations (UCE) because their headmaster, Francis Muyizzi, had neglected to register them for their final examinations.
This scenario points to a big problem of students who are frustrated at the last minute in spite of doing all they can to ensure that they are ready for their final examinations.
As a procedure, schools are required to register their students for the final examinations in the first half of the year.
Ms. Eve Konde, the principal public relations officer of Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB), says this is normally done from January to April each year, with an extra month given for late entries.
Students sitting for their Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) are required to pay sh10,000 while those sitting for UCE pay a basic fee of sh7,500 and sh4,850 for each subject. Those sitting for Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) pay a basic fee of sh9,000, followed by a consequent fee of sh9,000 for each principle subject and sh5,900 for a subsidiary subject.
Mr. Moses Wambede, the head teacher at Progressive Secondary School in Bwyeyogerere says, head teachers of the various schools are required to send a list of students that they have registered to UNEB which then sends a draft register as well as a packing list showing the required examination papers.
The heads of UNEB examination centres check for accuracy and then complete a response form. Details for clarification include the name and address of the centre, candidates’ spelling of names, age, sex, and entry codes of subjects. Necessary corrections are made and students sign and the register is sent back to UNEB which sends the final register back to the school. Despite these measures in place, cases of unregistered students continue each year.
Dr. John Geoffrey Mbabazi, the director of education, Ministry of Education and Sports blames the administration of some private secondary schools for lack of compliance in sending the list of registered students to UNEB. He warns that problems are not only limited to the failure to register students in time, but also as far as examination dates are concerned.
Dr. Mbabazi also cites the draft examination timetables as another possible cause of students missing exams. These draft timetables help schools identify problems of clashes and omission of subjects. Due to negligence, however, some head teachers do not bother to get the final timetable.
Late payment of registration fees is another cause for the failure of some schools to register students on time.
Dr. Mbabazi says that some students pay this directly to head teachers who do not bank it. He, however, notes that such cases are periodically reducing because of the awareness drive put forth by the Ministry of Education and Sports.
Some schools are not registered by the ministry and this is one of the reasons why the schools may not have UNEB centre numbers, Mr. Wambede observes.
They are therefore forced to register elsewhere which is rather costly because these schools end up paying for the legal examination fees, as well as the services of the centre.
Mr. Wambede further blames some schools for misguiding students. Driven by the profit motive, certain schools take up students who do not meet the registration requirements. These include those who have either failed their PLE or UCE, or those that do not have pass slips.
With the increase of foreign students studying in Uganda, pass slips are not taken for verification to UNEB in time.
UNEB should also be informed of cases of private students. These are students who register at a particular school with a centre number but are not students of that school.
Dr. Mbabazi calls upon parents and students to be vigilant and demand that the head teachers show proof of their children's’ registration in time. For those students who miss out on their final examinations, Dr. Mbabazi advises them to report such cases to the Police as it is a criminal offense. The onus is therefore upon the Ministry of Education to ensure that schools do not operate unless they have fulfilled the requirements enabling them to be licensed.
Efforts should be intensified to ensure that all licensed schools have UNEB centres. This will help minimise high rates charged by schools with centre numbers, which costs translate to the students, leading to misappropriation of registration fees.