KAMPALA- Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) has released exams timetable for the 2020 candidates at primary, ordinary and advanced level of education.
Mr Dan Odongo, the Uneb executive secretary, said the exams are being held in 2021 because of the need to make up for the time lost by the candidates during the Covid-19 induced lockdown.
Briefings for Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) will be conducted on February 26, with the exams starting on March 1, beginning with Physics practical and IPS Art Still Life/Nature. The exams will end on April 6 with Technical Drawing and Electrical Practice, among others.
Candidates for the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) will be briefed on April 9 and sit the exams on April 12, starting with European History, World Affairs since 1939, and Mathematics and end on May 3 with Imaginative Composition in Colour.
Primary Seven
Briefing of candidates for Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) will be held on March 26, with the candidates starting the exams on March 30, beginning with Mathematics, Social Studies and Religious Education. They will end the exams on March 31 with Integrated Science and English.
Mr Odongo called on all stakeholders to observe the standard operating procedures (SOPs) given that the exams come at a time when the country is still grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic.ADVERTISEMENT
“The Board is equally conscious of the fact that the examination process will be bringing many persons together, especially the candidates who must gather in designated examination halls or rooms to write their examinations. The Covid-19 pandemic makes it imperative for us to take into account the health and safety of the learners, as well as those conducting the examinations,” Mr Odongo said yesterday.
This year, a total of 1,181,965 candidates for all the three levels are set to sit their final exams, with 51.1 per cent of them being female, according to Uneb.
A total of 749,811 candidates are set to sit the PLE exams, with another 333,775 taking UCE and 98,379 UACE.
There has been a drop in the number of candidates siting for UCE. A total of 337,697 candidates registered for the 2019 UCE exams, with 168,639 of them being male and 169,058 female.
But this year registered a total of 167,481 female and 166,294 male to sit the exams.
UNEB has warned that breach of regulations and involvement in exams malpractice will lead to disqualification or cancellation of results of a candidate or of all candidates at a centre.
Mr Odongo revealed that the Uneb Bill 2020 has been passed into law by Parliament and is pending assent by the President.
“The Bill has expanded the scope of offences and sanctions. If it is assented to during this period the examinations shall be conducted in accordance with the new law,” Mr Odongo said in a statement.
UNEB has requested all faiths to dedicate February 26 to 28 for prayer and worship for the candidates, as well as the entire examination process.