By Tausi Nakato
The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has asked candidates whose 2023 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) results were withheld over alleged examination malpractices to appear before a tribunal hearing next week.
About 749,254 pupils sat for PLE in 2023, and results were released on January 25; however, some candidates are yet to receive their results to-date yet Senior One students are expected to report for term one on Monday next week.
Against that background, UNEB spokesperson, Ms Jennifer Kalule, said such pupils are scheduled to appear before a tribunal next week on a date which will be communicated to school heads.
“The candidates will be asked questions depending on their PLE answer sheets before the tribunal,’’ Ms Kalule said in an interview with KFM on Tuesday.
She, however, refused to disclose the number of candidates and schools that are going to face the Uneb tribunal.
Ms Kalule further explained that those who fail to defend themselves before the tribunal will have their results summarily canceled and encouraged to re-sit PLE this year.
A head teacher at one of the affected schools in Nabweru, Wakiso District, told KFM that all PLE results of its pupils were withheld by Uneb because of “some small concerns which are confidential”, but the issue is being sorted.
The head teacher further advised all the affected parents to go to the school for an update about their children’s PLE results. “Those with concerns should come to school for clarification because we can’t keep explaining everything over the phone,” he said.
However, a parent, whose PLE results were withheld, who declined to be named for personal reasons, said the school authorities have allegedly failed to provide a clear explanation why their former candidates have not yet received their results.
“When PLE results were released, I tried to send short message services (SMS), but to my disappointment, they were not displayed,” he said.
Adding: “I then called school authorities and was told that all results had been withheld because some parents didn’t clear school fees yet I had paid to zero balance. I had prepared everything for my daughter to join Senior One but I am now speechless.”
Ms Joan Nagawa, whose results were withheld, says she doesn’t want to repeat Primary Seven, adding that the thought of doing so “makes her cry”.
