Over 7000 fail, 2220 withheld as UNEB releases PLE results

The Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) has revealed that results for 2220 candidates for the just concluded Primary Leaving Exams have been withheld

“In accordance with section 5(2b) of the UNEB Act, the board has withheld results for 2220 candidates pending investigation. Schools whose results have been withheld will be notified through their district inspectors of schools and all those schools whose results have been withheld will be accorded fair hearing,” said UNEB Executive Director  Dan Odongo on Friday during the release of PLE exams at State House in Entebbe.

He mentioned Kasese and Bundibugyo districts in Rwenzori region had the highest number of schools with candidates whose results were withheld.

The 2220  was an increase from the 1512 the previous year but the number at 3500 was higher in 2018.

According to Odong, all those involved in malpractice will be handled in accordance with the law.

Malpractice

The UNEB Executive Director said there were several cases of exam malpractice reported during the 2020 PLE exams,

“Scouts and examiners reported a number of cases of suspected external assistance given to candidates inside the examination rooms by third parties. Three cases of suspected impersonation were also detected. Security personnel also arrested some people vending fake papers on the eve of the examination. Unlike in 2019, such cases of fake papers were few,”Odong said.

“Security also arrested some distributors in the districts of Nakasongola, and the greater Masaka areas who were entrusted with delivering the examination papers to examination centres, but along the way, cut the envelopes with a view to access the questions. These will be prosecuted in accordance with the UNEB Act.”

The UNEB Act 2021 was recently passed by parliament to repeal the 1983 Act and came into force on April, 1, 2021 stipulates strict punishments for students involved in exam malpractice.

According to the new law, offences were expanded from seven to 13 and the penalties or sanctions with regard to examination malpractices include imprisonment ranging from six months to five years and fines ranging from 500 currency points to 2,000 currency points.

A currency point is equivalent to shs20,000.

This means that a student caught cheating national exams if convicted is liable to be fined up to Shs 40 million or sentenced to five years imprisonment or both.

0ver 7000 fail

The results released on Friday also indicated that a total of 74,878 candidates totally failed the PLE exams and will definitely have to repeat the class.

These represented 10.2% of the total number of candidates who sat for PLE exams in 2020.