The Uganda National Examinations Board has announced that all pregnant candidates will be permitted to register and seat for their final year examinations.
This was revealed by the board’s Secretary Daniel Odongo at the Uganda media center while announcing the program for registration of candidates for final national examinations on Thursday morning.
Odongo says both UNEB and Ministry of Education recognize that teenage pregnancies have been rampantly on the increase as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown.
“UNEB recognizes that the lockdown due to COVID-19 has been a very tough period, especially for the girl child. We have received reports that a number of them became pregnant during this season,” he said.
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Odongo says that much as UNEB doesn’t condone teenage pregnancies, most of these girls have fallen victim and are distressed therefore they cannot deny them the opportunity to seat for their final examinations.
He adds that failure to allow these girls to continue with education is a sign of gender inequality that distorts the government’s efforts in allowing both girls and boys to study.
He has therefore encouraged schools not to hesitate in registering candidates to seat for their examinations.
“Therefore as guided by the ministry of education and sports, UNEB is calling on schools to register the pregnant girls to enable them to sit for their final examinations,” he said.
Odongo says registration starts today electronically from the licensed schools except for places where such schools do not have the resources
Odongo advised schools to avoid using the electronic process to register and will continue for the next five weeks with no extension.
Ordinarily, registration would take six months but given the current Covid-19 pandemic situation, schools will have to adapt to the new normal.
He adds that late registration will not be tolerated and thus schools are urged to ensure their students are registered within the given time frame.
Odongo has also warned headteachers against inflating registration fees as he clarified that the structure remains the same Shs34,000 for PLE, Shs164,000 for UCE, and Shs186,000 for UACE.
He called upon parents to be vigilant and not be exploited by the schools under the guise of UNEB registration fees.
“Any additional charges that the school would like to make for administrative purposes should be clearly explained to the parents and must not in any way, be referred to as UNEB fees/registration,” a statement from UNEB Executive Secretary Dan Odongo states.
