MR MATHEW BUKENYA ADDRESS ROLE OF EXAMINERS IN CHEATING UNEB EXAMS

It is wrong for us to keep unconcerned as some people use their positions wrongly. Mr. Bukenya Sir, we are about to enter the Examinations season. The innovation of Makerere University to start pre-admission exams for Law Students is an eye openner of the failures of UNEB. There is cheating to pass exams which many seem to be ignoring, but time is now to address it. This is the time schools have to market themselves so that they end up winning more souls the following year. However, I am reliably informed that your examiners are contacted by many Head teachers to brief them on how to go about answering questions. In the process, the children are given the actual stuff that is expected in the exams. What happens is that such children pass in flying colours. Some schools put off the official teachers when it is about exam time and examiners take over. Is your office aware of this development? If so, should it be encouraged to go on? Can your office put a ban on examiners visiting schools and briefing the students of how to go on answering questions? It is also said that some of these charge shs 250,000 a day for the service rendered.
2ndly, why doesn’t UNEB release the marking scheme after marking the papers so that teachers are properly guided as to how students should go about answering questions? This is against the background that examiners end up advising children on how they should approach specific questions, which at times contradicts what the teachers may have told them.
Mr Bukenya, a proposal was made to have children pay into the bank what is due to your office. This would see a stop to head teachers who eat children’s money. UNEB has ignored this. Can we expect that no head teacher will eat children’s money this time?
It is true, there are loopholes in National examinations which UNEB ought to address more so that the Government has refused to scrap Government sponsorship which is one reason that cheating exams is the norm.
We are also not informed of outcomes regarding the cases where people have been arrested in examination cheating. This tends to reflect that UNEB is party as in MOST cases someone with touch to UNEB leaks the papers. I was informed of a situation in the last examinations where students succeeded in sending questions to friends by telephone given the nearly free time these give. It is not clear whether UNEB has taken interest to check with phone companies to verify the truth. Much more has to be done by UNEB if our national exams are to remain relevant.
Lastly, it is suspected that the leaking a part from being helped by those with connections who use ‘powers from above’, it cannot be ruled out that some of UNEB staff have interests in schools and facilitate the leakage to promote their schools.
I remind you that at each intake at Makerere University, students in some courses are cautioned not to bother taking them when they are not sure of ‘their brains’, meaning that cheating is the norm for these students who end up excelling when they cannot measure up.
William Kituuka Kiwanuka

MAK TO START PRE- ENTRY EXAMS FOR LAW STUDENTS
By Our Online Team.
Makerere University plans to introduce pre entry exams for the bachelor of laws degree course. Professor Ben Twinomugisha, the dean school of law says that all new students interested in taking law as a career shall have to first sit for a pre entry examination in order to qualify for admission.
He says with effect from next academic year pre-entry examination shall be undertaken immediately after the release of the A-level results.
Prof. Twinomugisha says the examination shall include an aptitude test, English comprehension and composition, current affairs covering domestic, regional and international issues and the economy.
Addressing the media at the university Main Building on Monday, Harriet Musinguzi, the communications officer school of law said the pre exams shall be open for all students both with arts and sciences and diploma holders, degree holders and mature entry applicants.
Musinguzi told reporters that for the past 10 years the quality of students for the bachelor of laws degree has been declining in spite of the improving performances at the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education, from where the best students with excellent marks have been selected for the course.
She says many of the students already admitted for the law course with excellent marks have reading and English comprehension problems and are also not well versed with the contemporary social, economic and political issues which are relevant in the study of law. Musinguzi revealed that the school of law is still discussing the amount of money to be charged for the pre entry exams.

Uganda Education News: UNEB holds results of 1227 PLE candidates
Ultimate Media

The Uganda National Examination Board is holding results of 1,227 pupils from the 2010 Primary Leaving Examinations over malpractice.
Announcing the results this morning, the board secretary Mathew Bukenya said some of the affected schools in Kampala include Makindye Junior School which had 60 candidates and Fahad Islamic Primary School which had 53 pupils.
In Wakiso, the affected schools are Najeera Progressive with 87 candidates and Homisdallen in Kirinya which had 79 candidates.
While in Jinja, results of two candidates from Buyala primary school have been withheld.
Bukenya says the results have not been cancelled but are being held as investigations continue