As the UCE Examinations nears its end, Magistrate Court in Makindye has remanded the Director who also doubles as the Head Teacher of Kisugu High School Celestine Kasolo 48 years to Luzira Prison, following unlawful confinement and denial of students to sit for their UCE examinations.
It’s alleged that on Thursday November 26th, Mr. Kasolo locked up five candidates due to none-payment of school fees balances thus denying the opportunity to sit for their Biology paper on that day contrary to section 30(1) of the UNEB Act 2021.
Once convicted, Kasolo will be liable to a fine not exceeding Ushs 20 million or a term of imprisonment not exceeding five years or serving both.
While addressing journalist in a joint press briefing at Police’s Naguru based Headquarters, UNEB Principal Public Relations Officer (PRO) Jennifer Kalule Musamba cautioned the head teachers and schools directors to avoid denying candidates from sitting for their examinations least they risk being prosecuted which may lead to imprisonment.
“ Heads of schools shouldn’t deny registered candidates from sitting their examinations because there is mechanisms that can allow them recover their fees. For instance if they inform us on time about some candidates who owe the school UNEB withhold the release of exams for such learners.’’ Mrs Kalule stated.
She also informed reporters that PLE candidates will be briefed on 7th Tuesday November 2023, and she appealed to the heads of all PLE centres to ensure that they present all registered candidates for the examination that is starting tomorrow.
Meanwhile last Friday, police in Luweero, working in conjunction with private investigators, arrested and detained three suspects holding unauthorised UCE Examination papers of Commerce and Entrepreneur. The trio including a chief invigilator a one, Lubega Dalton Denis a teacher of Midland High School in Luweero will be committed to court to answer charges of unauthorised possession of examination materials, aiding and abetting malpractice.
Kalule the UNEB PRO said that Lubega had been deployed to invigilate at Goshen Secondary School, Victoria Model and Sharma S.S all in Luweero but on different days. While on duty a chief invigilator, he would issue papers to the candidates, and after photograph one of them and share the images with his deputy teacher Bwambale Zawadi of Midland High School, Luweero Campus.
The same was then shared with the Director of Studies of Midland High School, Buntaba, Mukono Campus, by name, Woopo Herbert who is among the three suspects detained by police while other suspects are still at large.
In another malpractice scenario, Okwenyi Tom another suspect was also arrested and detained at CPS police , after being caught sharing of fake PLE electronically . Okwenyi a former teacher, but currently working with a mult-national agency, is alleged to have formed a social media platform called Elite SST Senior Examiners, where he shared the fake examination papers to over 1500 group members.
Okwenyi gave the fake papers code names such as ‘Fertilizers’ on the social media he would ask group members on what they would like to consume. According to Police he is yet to be aligned to court when investigations are complete. The security teams are also tracking another group said to be sharing another set of fake PLE papers code names `beans’.
The chairman of UNEB Dan Odongo cautioned parents from participating in any way, in the electronic sharing of any such fake content purported to be UNEB papers because this tantamount to aiding and abetting malpractice which is an offence according to the UNEB Act 2021.
By George Bukenya