Hysterical candidates fail to sit PLE
Nov 04, 2008
A TOTAL of 21 pupils in Masaka became hysterical and missed the Primary Leaving Examinations on Monday and Tuesday. The bizzare incident occurred at Mbuulire Primary School in Kitanda sub-county, where 130 pupils were to sit for the examinations that ended yesterday.
By Ali Mambule,
Herbert Ssempogo
and Francis Kagolo
A TOTAL of 21 pupils in Masaka became hysterical and missed the Primary Leaving Examinations on Monday and Tuesday. The bizzare incident occurred at Mbuulire Primary School in Kitanda sub-county, where 130 pupils were to sit for the examinations that ended yesterday.
No sooner had the 21 entered the examination room, than they started dancing, shaking their heads and raising their hands.
Without uttering a word, some attempted to fight their teachers and invigilators. The weird behaviour was first witnessed on Monday morning as officials distributed question papers, a teacher, Rashid Matovu, said.
“Some of them made diagonal marks on the question papers. It was then that we realised that there was a problem,†the P7 class teacher, Rashid Matovu, stated.
“One of them picked a saucepan from a teacher’s home and hit me on the head.â€
Alarmed by their actions the head teacher, Siraje Sessaazi, who said such incidents were not new to the school, called Sheik Muhammad Mbaziira, who prayed for the pupils.
When sanity returned, only 109 pupils out of the 130 were able to continue with the examinations.
The hysteria, the school authorities suspected, was a result of demons.
However, a Kampala psychologist, Ruth Matoya, said under stress and tension brought about by the high expectations from both teachers and parents, hysteria can occur.
She said the pupils could also suffer hysteria if they were not prepared psychologically and physically for the exams.
She said hysteria is cantagious; when one gets it, others are affected.
Hajji Muhammad Sebuufu, the chairperson of Mbuulire Parents and Teachers Association, said some pupils left the school when the problem started last term.
Masaka district head of criminal investigations Christopher Rugumayo said he would make a report to the school board over the matter. A medical team from Masaka was set to visit the school last evening.
Meanwhile, in Kampala, the police nabbed 13 students over illegally sitting for the primary examinations at Happy Angels Primary School on Monday.
The suspects are all students of Happy Angels High School in Kawempe, a city suburb.
Also arrested were Peter Mutebi, the primary school head teacher, Geoffrey Ondeso, the director of studies at the secondary school and his counterpart in the primary school, Willy Kibuuka.
The students are held at Kampala Central Police Station, while the adults are being detained at Kawempe Police Station.
Police spokesperson Judith Nabakooba yesterday disclosed that the students were arrested while sitting for the English and Social Studies examinations.
“The students were admitted in the secondary school but they were found sitting exams in the primary school,†she said.
“Officials move with the pupils’ photographs to ensure that impersonators do not sit for examinations. These students submitted their photographs but were not supposed to sit for examinations,†Nabakooba explained.
The students will be interrogated over impersonation, while the adults would be questioned over uttering false documents, conspiracy to commit a crime and abetting crime.
Despite the incident, UNEB chief Mathew Bukenya said the two-day exercise was smooth.
“If only 13 pupils have been arrested out of the 486,312 that were registered, then our scouts have done a good job,†he said.
Marking the exams starts on November 22 and ends in January next year.
Herbert Ssempogo
and Francis Kagolo
A TOTAL of 21 pupils in Masaka became hysterical and missed the Primary Leaving Examinations on Monday and Tuesday. The bizzare incident occurred at Mbuulire Primary School in Kitanda sub-county, where 130 pupils were to sit for the examinations that ended yesterday.
No sooner had the 21 entered the examination room, than they started dancing, shaking their heads and raising their hands.
Without uttering a word, some attempted to fight their teachers and invigilators. The weird behaviour was first witnessed on Monday morning as officials distributed question papers, a teacher, Rashid Matovu, said.
“Some of them made diagonal marks on the question papers. It was then that we realised that there was a problem,†the P7 class teacher, Rashid Matovu, stated.
“One of them picked a saucepan from a teacher’s home and hit me on the head.â€
Alarmed by their actions the head teacher, Siraje Sessaazi, who said such incidents were not new to the school, called Sheik Muhammad Mbaziira, who prayed for the pupils.
When sanity returned, only 109 pupils out of the 130 were able to continue with the examinations.
The hysteria, the school authorities suspected, was a result of demons.
However, a Kampala psychologist, Ruth Matoya, said under stress and tension brought about by the high expectations from both teachers and parents, hysteria can occur.
She said the pupils could also suffer hysteria if they were not prepared psychologically and physically for the exams.
She said hysteria is cantagious; when one gets it, others are affected.
Hajji Muhammad Sebuufu, the chairperson of Mbuulire Parents and Teachers Association, said some pupils left the school when the problem started last term.
Masaka district head of criminal investigations Christopher Rugumayo said he would make a report to the school board over the matter. A medical team from Masaka was set to visit the school last evening.
Meanwhile, in Kampala, the police nabbed 13 students over illegally sitting for the primary examinations at Happy Angels Primary School on Monday.
The suspects are all students of Happy Angels High School in Kawempe, a city suburb.
Also arrested were Peter Mutebi, the primary school head teacher, Geoffrey Ondeso, the director of studies at the secondary school and his counterpart in the primary school, Willy Kibuuka.
The students are held at Kampala Central Police Station, while the adults are being detained at Kawempe Police Station.
Police spokesperson Judith Nabakooba yesterday disclosed that the students were arrested while sitting for the English and Social Studies examinations.
“The students were admitted in the secondary school but they were found sitting exams in the primary school,†she said.
“Officials move with the pupils’ photographs to ensure that impersonators do not sit for examinations. These students submitted their photographs but were not supposed to sit for examinations,†Nabakooba explained.
The students will be interrogated over impersonation, while the adults would be questioned over uttering false documents, conspiracy to commit a crime and abetting crime.
Despite the incident, UNEB chief Mathew Bukenya said the two-day exercise was smooth.
“If only 13 pupils have been arrested out of the 486,312 that were registered, then our scouts have done a good job,†he said.
Marking the exams starts on November 22 and ends in January next year.