Former UNEB chair questions decision to release PLE results at Kampala Parents School

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT  | The decision of Uganda National Examinations Board-UNEB to release this year’s Primary Leaving Examination-PLE results at Kampala Parents School has raised eyebrows. It comes a day after UNEB issued a statement indicating that it would release the PLE results at the privately owned Kampala Parents School on Friday this week.

This is the first time UNEB will be releasing results outside its premises, Education Ministry offices or any other designated government facility. Professor Bbosa Lutalo, the former UNEB board chairperson is one of those up in arm against the development.

“Normally results are released at a neutral environment. Kampala Parents in this instance is not a neutral place. It has a primary class. It is going to be one of the recipients of the results. This makes one wonder whether government has vested interests in the school,” Prof Lutalo said.

He noted that the release of PLE results at Kampala Parents School will make history. “During my time as UNEB chairman, we always chose a government institute. This has never been done. It’s unheard of in our history, “Prof Lutalo said.

Parents and other education stakeholders URN talked to share the same sentiments with Prof Lutalo. Martha Naigaga, a mother to a primary six pupil says that the venue for the release of the national examination results raises questions.

“I have never heard of something like this. Why have they decided to do it? It looks weird that they have chosen Kampala Parents School of all the schools in the country,” she said. Ketty Wakwale, the head teacher East Kololo Primary School, says that the move is the first of its nature in the history of examinations in the country. “This is the first time this is happening. If the venue is going to be changing on an annual basis, then I think it will cast more light on the poor state some of the schools are in,” she said.

However, some of the people applauded decision by the Education Ministry. Ben Ssebugazi, the General Secretary of the Uganda Poor Movement, says that UNEB made the right decision. “UNEB made a good decision to organize the release of PLE at Kampala Parent’s school. It is a good school that has nourished great leaders in the country like General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, doctors and Members of Parliament. It is a very good school with good structures,” he explained.

It is still unclear why the release of PLE results has been moved to Kampala Parent’s school. Jennifer Katumba, the UNEB spokesperson, says that they didn’t have a choice where the examinations would be released. “Our job was to mark the papers and release the exams. We wrote to the Ministry to inform them and they chose the venue. We had nothing to do with the decision,” Katumba said.

A source from the Education Ministry told URN on condition of anonymity that the decision to release the results at Kampala Parent’s school came from the Office of the First lady who is also the Education Minister. “When UNEB wrote about the release of the examinations the request was passed on to the Minister’s office, which decided on the venue. This time round, they wrote back and we don’t have any idea why Kampala Parents School was chosen,” the source said.

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