Assessment body Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) has released guidelines for this year’s end of primary level examinations or the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), including the announcement of a special centre for candidates exposed to Ebola.
Uneb Executive Secretary and Executive Director Dan Odongo has emphasized that 2022 PLE examinations will begin on Monday, November 07, 2022, with the briefing of candidates countrywide at the various examination centres. Odongo added that “the actual writing of the papers” will take place on Tuesday November 08, 2022, and Wednesday November 09, 2022.
The exams will be held under the theme: ‘Integrity and security in the management of examinations; the health and safety of learners is a joint responsibility.’ Odongo explained: “This theme underscores the importance the Board attaches to integrity and security, as well as health and safety. Everyone involved in the conduct of this examination is asked to act with high levels of integrity to ensure malpractice is controlled and the examination is secure.”
The field conduct of the examination will be handled by 139 District Monitors, 12,391 Scouts, 10,356 Chief Invigilators and 33,395 Invigilators. A number of security officers are also being deployed across the country to support the exercise and ensure the security of the examination.
A total of 832,810 candidates from 14,153 examination centres are expected to sit for this year’s PLE. This translates in an increase of 82,999 (11.1 per cent) compared to the figure that sat the end of primary level exams in 2020. Of these candidates, 61 are inmates from Upper Prison School Luzira.
Up to 432,618 (51.9 per cent) of the total number of candidates are females while 400,192 or 48.1 per cent are males. A total of 583,769 or 70.1 per cent are funded under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) Program, while 29.9 percent (249,041 candidates) are non-UPE candidates.
A total of 2,316 candidates were registered to have Special Needs Education (SNE) requirements. This is an increase of 717 Candidates (44.8 per cent). These SNE learners will be given the necessary support, said Odongo.
“Uneb will avail braille question papers and answer sheets for the blind, large print question papers for those with low vision, sign language interpreters for the deaf, and transcribers for learners with dyslexia and those with severe physical impairments (challenges).The SNE candidates will be allowed 45 extra minutes for each paper. A total of 923 SNE personnel, up from 659 (40.1 per cent increase) will be deployed to provide support,” the Uneb Executive Secretary added.
PLE 2022 UNEB GUIDELINES
Scouts and invigilators have been encouraged to be vigilant and look out for the sensitive needs of the SNE candidates and support them appropriately. The Board has asked schools to accord the necessary cooperation to support personnel sent by Uneb to enable them render the required support to the SNE candidates.
Odongo also called on district inspectors to deploy enough invigilators to enforce observance of Ebola prevention measures. “We appeal to all District Inspectors of Schools to ensure that sufficient numbers of invigilators are deployed per sitting centre to ensure that the candidates are properly supervised and the SOPs for the prevention of Covid19 and Ebola are followed in each examination room,” he said.
He also revealed that a special centre has been established for candidates from schools exposed to Ebola. He noted that the examinations for candidates from the affected school will be administered in the same school in which they have been learning.
“One of these schools is called Green Valley Primary School. This school does not have a Uneb centre. So, it had registered to have its candidates sitting from another school. In consultation with the Ministry of Health and with assistance from Unicef, the Board has agreed to have these 29 pupils or candidates write their examinations from their school: they will not be taken to write their examinations where they were registered in one of the schools nearby,” he explained.
“This school, together with another one where one candidate is under surveillance, [will be merged]. This candidate will also join because the [schools] are nearby. This candidate will also join other candidates of Green Valley.”
Heads of Centres MUST ensure that the health and safety SOPs, as provided by the Ministry of Health, are fully observed. During Monday’s briefing head teachers should, among other things, inform the candidates of the circumstances that may lead to disqualification/ cancellation of their entire results. Such situations include but are not limited to; smuggling of unauthorised material inside the examination room; copying from one another or collusion, external assistance given by teachers, invigilators or any other person; prior knowledge of examination questions; impersonation; improper behaviour like disobeying, threatening or attacking examination officials.
There had been some reports that the PLE examinations papers had leaked and were being shared on social media. Uneb has issued a statement on this allegation of examination papers’ leakage. (Read Details HERE).
You can also see the best performing primary schools from Kampala, Western Uganda, and our ranking of Uganda’s top 300 primary schools, according to results from the previous PLE Here, There, and Over There. The best performing primary schools in Wakiso is Here.
