Head teacher arrested for embezzling PLE registration fees

As the rest of the Primary seven candidates were siting for their Primary Leaving Examinations, those of Elinah Primary School in Kawaala were in tears after realizing that they were not sitting their exams.

Andrew Nakyeso 13, Louis Aliho 13 and Vivian Nakasolya 12 rushed to Kawaala Police Station where they ran with their parents hoping to be bailed out but it was all in vain.

Nakyeso narrates that two days ago it was discovered that his and other pupils' registration fees were embezzled by their head teacher, Elsie Birungi, who is also on the run. The New Vision visited the private initiated school, which looked abandoned without a single pupil in class.

In a sorrow state with tears in his eyes, Nakyeso said their school administration asked them for registration fees of sh100,000 for each candidate with assurance that they would sit their final exams.

He said the head teacher had told them, that they would sit from Namusere Primary School in Wakiso, since their school had no Centre number.

Police led by Officer in Charge of Kawala Police Station arrested the school director Deborah Kimeze and took her to police.

There she found her pupils and their parents. She requested the police to let her sort out the issue with the parents on her own which police consented.

Responding to the matter, Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) executive secretary Dan Odongo said the board will not interfere in issues of swindled registration fees.

"We passed information on media requesting parents to check earlier whether their children are registered to avoid such grievances," he said.

Vastine Tushabomwe, the mother to Aliho, said they became suspicious after asking their children for their index numbers and identity cards, but without any.

"We later learnt on Monday from the headmaster of Namusere that our children's names were not on his list of candidates and he even denied receiving any registration fees from the school head teacher," she noted.

A total of 640, 860 registered to sit this year's PLE. Unlike before, the number of girls is higher than boys, at a total of 17,838.