UNEB rules out special exams for U20 national team players

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | There will be no special consideration for athletes who missed the Uganda Certificate of Education-UCE exams while representing the country, the Education and Sports Ministry has revealed. Several candidates on the Hippos Under-20 and Cubs Under-17 national teams missed their UCE exams while representing Uganda at the African Cup of Nations in Mauritania and Morocco respectively.

Some of the players who missed the exams are Alpha Thierry Ssali, a candidate at Kitante Hill School, Travis Mutyaba, a candidate at St Mary’s College Kitende, Oscar Mawa of Gombe High School, Ivan Irinimbabazi from Royal Giants High School and Elvis Mwanje from Masaka SS. The player’s parents demanded that their children get special consideration to write their exams since they were on national duty.

They petitioned parliament to compel the Ministry of Education to consider giving the players special exams. Moses Ssali alias Bebe Cool, whose son Alpha Thierry Ssali was part of the Hippos Under-20 team expressed disappointment with the inability of the government to ensure that the students who were out on national duty sit their examinations. Parliament referred the matter to the Education and Sports Ministry which promised to consult other stakeholders on what can be done. Now, the Sports State Minister Denis Hamson Obua says they consulted Uganda National Examinations Board-UNEB and reached a final decision not to give special UCE examinations to the players.

He told the Education Committee of Parliament chaired by Jacob Opolot, that giving the players special exams will open a Pandora Box.

Opolot questioned whether the different stakeholders including the parents and the students were informed of the risk they were taking.

Cyrus Aogon, the Kumi Municipality MP said the government needs to come up with a provision for sportsmen, so as not to discourage them.

Since Senior three students have just enrolled this year, this means the students will have to wait and sit with them UCE exams.

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