COUNTRYWIDE.Uganda National Examinations Board(Uneb) invigilators at Olila High School in Soroti District had to temporarily stop candidates writing Geography Paper I on Monday morning to attend to a female candidate who developed labour pains .
The 23- year –old candidate had bravely entered the examination hall to write her exams despite feeling labour pains, but was eventually rushed to Soroti Health Centre III in Soroti City West for delivery .
Mr Joseph Opio, the head teacher of Olila High School said it was the school administration that convinced the candidate to show up and sit the exams despite her condition .
“Good enough she has a random number and has managed to write her names .This implies that Uneb will allow her to continue wither exams after delivery,”Mr Opio said.
Ms Joyce Aguti, the mother of the candidate and a resident of Acowa subcounty in Kapelebyong said she was called in the morning while she was in the garden that her daughter was in immense pain.
“I talked to my daughter on Friday and everything seemed well with her ,but as I was in the garden I was called that she is in her labour,” Ms Aguti said.
She prays that her daughter gives birth to her baby normally so that she can continue with her papers.
Angela Alupo, the candidate said started feeling the pains on Sunday at about 11pm and a neighbour rushed her to the hospital.
Ms Alupo who said that her pregnancy was 8months and three weeks old hopes to give birth normally so that she continue with her exams .
Despite this incident , the exams kicked off smoothly across the country with minor glitches recorded on Day One .
Uneb coordinator for Kabale Station Mr Amos Ahimbisibwe said that they received all the examination materials that were dispatched to the 28-examination centers under his supervision, and they hope the exercise shall be successful.
“We received all the examination materials, and they were distributed to the head teachers from the different examination centers early enough and we hope the exercise shall be successful,” Mr Ahimbisibwe said.
The head teacher for Kigezi High School Mr Abraham Akampurira that doubles as the chairman of the secondary school head teachers association in Kabale District said that both O’ level and A’ level candidates have been prepared very well for the Uganda National Examination Board since their teachers were not involved in the sit down strike that was announced at the beginning of third team.
“Our candidates have been well prepared because their teachers did not participate in the sit-down strike that was announced by UNATU at the beginning of third term. We received all the examination materials, and I hope the situation in all secondary schools in our area is normal,” Mr Akampurira said.
In Kisoro District, the UCE examinations commenced smoothly in area, with no reported interruptions, according to district Uneb coordinator Mr Charles Mbonyebyombi.
“The examination exercise kicked off on a good note on Monday morning in all the 27 schools under my supervision, with candidates starting with Geography Paper One. We have not received any complaint from any school about failing to get examination materials,” Mr Mbonyebyombi said.
In Rukiga District, the Uneb coordinator for station 102 Rukiga CPS Mr Onesmus Rukundo said that the examination materials arrived early in all the seven schools under his supervision and he had not received any complaint from students complaining that they missed examinations.
In Kanungu District, exams started well with no major incidents. At Burema Secondary School two candidates out of the 90 registered missed their exams and the school head teacher Mr Baker Twehikire blamed their parents for not fulfilling their obligation.
At Kinkizi high school and San Giovanni School Makiro in Kanungu District the school head teachers Rev Emmanuel Mutabazi and Mr Dennis Tukamushaba respectively said that although one candidate missed the exams for unknown reasons in their schools, the situation was calm. All head teachers expressed worry at the number of fees defaulters saying they have made commitments with the parents to allow them sit for the exams and clear the fees balances.
In several parts of Acholi sub-region, police and examinations officials struggled to deliver examination sets at the destination centers with several roads cut off due to recent heavy downpour.
In Agago district for example, Mr Calvin Okot, the district education officer, told this publication that while examinations materials were delivered promptly at the two centres (Kalong and Patongo Town Councils), dispatch top the 12 (public and private) schools across the district was hampered by the bad state of the roads.
“The materials were delivered at the two storage centres in both Kalongo and Patongo timely, of course the roads are bad, some schools were affected in the morning and papers arrived late, we pray the weather keeps dry for some time,” Mr Okot said.
In Yumbe district, Mr Jackson Jad Andabati, the deputy head teacher of Kuru Secondary school said the UCE examination started with Geography Paper 1 in the morning without any challenges.
He said the school registered 59 candidates and all of them turned up for the examination.
“We have students who have school fees balances but as the administration, we have relaxed the issue of completion of school fees and allowed the defaulters to sit for the examinations,” he said.
He said despite the ongoing teacher’s industrial action, the effect is not felt in the school.
“There was nothing like boycotting of UCE supervision and invigilation by the teachers. Teachers turned up to manage the UCE examination at the school because they are not on strike,” he added.
Mr Zubair Khamis Abdalah, the deputy head teacher in charge of academics at Aringa SS , the school registered 218 students (117 girls and 101boys) but one candidate didn’t turn up for the exams.
“At our center, 217 are sitting for the exams but one boy failed to show up due to unknown reasons. We tried to reach out to the parent to confirm what had happened with the boy but in vain as the known phone number was inaccessible,” he said.
He said all the teachers recruited to supervise and invigilate UCE turned up for the exercise.
In Tororo and Mbale, UCE examinations started on schedule without any major hindrances across all the gazetted examinations centres.
Candidates under the new lower secondary curriculum began their day with Geography paper which will be followed with Biology.
The Uneb supervisor for Tororo area Beatrice Akware Lumonya, the head teacher Tororo Girls School confirmed that examination storage centres were open by 8:00 am with distant schools being served first before those around Tororo town.
“Most sitting centres kicked off with examinations at 9 am although a few others experienced delays of 5 to 10 minutes,” she said.
Ms Akware called for exhibition of high level of integrity to guard against any Examination malpractice warning that Uneb will not hesitate to take stern action against those found involved in any form of Examination malpractice.
Ms Akware challenged School head teachers to make their schools open to supervisors to avoid drawing suspicion on involvement in malpractices that may lead to revoking of the examinations.
She revealed that according to Uneb, a total of 5,404 candidates are expected to sit for this particular set of examinations in Tororo district.
The Tororo Education Officer Teddy Ajuma Makoola thanked the teachers of humanities in the district for burying their grievances over salary disparities and chose to teach.
She encouraged supervisors and invigilators to ensure that they give favorable atmosphere to the candidates to be able to do their examinations without any disruption.
“The guidelines are clear that any candidate who registered with Uganda National Examinations Board must sit for the examination and any attempt to block such candidates that because of fees balances results into committing of crime therefore as professional teachers don’t be part of the victims,” she warned.
At Petta Community Secondary School, the school head teacher Peter Bayeke expressed satisfaction with Uneb distribution timing expressing optimism of better performance.
In Mbale, schools also started their examinations on time and police said they had not yet registered an cases of malpractice.