The Minister for Education and Sports, Janet Museveni has given a green light to the Uganda Business and Technical Examination Board(UBTEB) to cancel exams of 42 candidates found guilty of malpractice.
Speaking during the release of the April – May exams in Kampala, the UBTEB Executive Secretary Onesmus Oyesigye recommended the 42 candidates for cancellation after a disciplinary hearing.
“After the fair hearing of the suspected candidates, the board found 42 candidates guilty of the malpractice. The board is now recommending to you cancellation of the examination results for the entire semester of the affected candidates in accordance with Regulation 9 (3) of the UBTEB Regulations,” Oyesigye said.
Speaking in response, the Education Minister who was represented by the State Minister for Higher Education, John Chrysestom Muyingo gave a nod to UBTEB to cancel the exams.
“I have taken note of the 42 candidates whose results have been recommended by the Board for cancellation due to involvement in examination malpractices. I have also taken note of the fair hearing given to the culprits as provided by law,” she said.
“ I however, would like to state strongly that this is a bad vice especially in skills training and should be fought by everyone including the candidates themselves, the parents, the training providers and the general public. I therefore agree with the recommendation of the board that the results of the affected candidates be cancelled.”
The UBTEB Executive Secretary said whereas they have put in place measures to prevent cases of exam malpractice, some candidates still risk and engage in the vice.
“The UBTEB examination managers have gained a lot of expertise in detecting all sorts of examination malpractice. On this note, I commend the examination management team for the strict vigilance, and I urge them to minimize further these malpractice cases by thoroughly checking candidates before entering the examinations rooms and undertaking compulsory candidate briefing prior to the start of examinations. “
