Mukono District Education Officer (DEO) Rashid Kikomeko has disclosed that unrevealed head teachers in a number of primary schools in the district engaged in examination malpractices including outright teaching during supervision of the learners while writing their mock examinations.
Kikomeko said that because of financial handicaps, the district examinations committee decided to use teachers in their respective schools as invigilators instead of hiring foreign ones, adding that some head teachers used it as an opportunity to cheat.
The DEO was addressing district leaders, education department heads and head teachers who turned up at the district headquarters to receive results of the maiden PLE mock examinations of the district.
In the examinations written last month, out of the 16,413 candidates who sat the mock exams, only 2,182 passed in first grade, 3,396 in the 2nd grade, 4,202 in the 3rd grade, while 3,525 were ungraded. Of these, 1,248 registered candidates did not appear for the examinations.
Nama sub-county emerged the best performer with 750 candidates who passed well, followed by Nagojje with 499 candidates, while Kkoome got only 2 first grades. Other hard-to-reach sub-counties which performed extremely poorly include Mpunge and Mpatta.
Kitalo! Bbebi Ow’omwaka Ogumu Ekijanjaalo Gwe Kyatuze Afudde!!!
“We could not mobilise foreign invigilators and trusted you to honestly do the job, unfortunately you decided to use P7 teachers who instead got into outright teaching during exams; we got the report and the CAO is preparing reprimand actions against the culprits; just wait for your letters”, Kikomeko said without disclosing the names.
The DEO revealed that the said head teachers had made earlier attempts to approach printers of the examination papers to access them ahead of the examination dates, but failed because he said, this was expected and a different printer was used to out manoeuvre such crafty teachers.
He cautioned the head teachers that if they attempt to get involved in such embarrassing activities in the final UNEB examinations, they should expect the worst punishment, adding, “do not expect any protection from my office when you are caught, stand warned!” Kikomeko seriously asserted.
Receiving the results, the Mukono district chairperson, Rev. Dr. Peter Bakaluba Mukasa implored head teachers to ensure they conduct effective supervision of their teachers, in addition to making planning as set out in the schools’ norms and regulations.
Bakaluba was sad to note that many teachers had long discarded the practice of making lesson plans as required by law, and threatened to lobby for a law stipulating that teachers be paid salaries in accordance to how much they have fulfilled their obligations.
He urged teachers to desist from engaging in personal businesses at the cost of teaching, and charged head teachers with the duty of inspecting the quality of their learners’ meals by once in a time dining with the children.
The District Inspector of Schools Inspector, Gerald Ssali, advised the head teachers along with their teachers to trace those learners who registered but never turned up for examinations, and to do everything possible to reverse the current number of ungraded candidates.
“We are not going to wait for media reports alleging that we stopped learners from writing their final examinations on account that they have not been attending classes! You must think of means of making redress before it’s too late,” Ssali noted.
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