The Uganda National Examinations Board has confirmed the cancellation of Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) results for 66 candidates from Mapeera Nursery and Primary School in Hoima City over examination malpractice.
The affected candidates had earlier been required to travel to Kampala to defend their results after they were withheld during the official release of PLE results earlier this year. While other schools in Hoima celebrated their performance, pupils, parents, and teachers at Mapeera Nursery and Primary School were left in shock following the decision.
At the time, Hoima City Education Officer Johnson Kusima Baingana indicated that the withholding of results could have been due to suspected examination malpractice or failure to meet UNEB requirements, though no official explanation had been given then.
The matter remained unclear until Friday when Hoima City Inspector of Schools, Caroline Nyamahunge, confirmed that UNEB’s National Examinations Security Committee had nullified the results after investigations established malpractice.
Of the 66 candidates affected, 35 were registered from Mapeera Nursery and Primary School, while 31 were from Bat Stevenson Nursery and Primary School and Gods Light Primary School.
According to Nyamahunge, during a hearing attended by representatives from the affected schools, inspectors, and city officials, UNEB re-assessed the candidates using the same examination papers they had previously sat.
“During the hearing, all learners were subjected to a fresh examination using the same set of papers. It became evident that there was malpractice, as the candidates could not replicate their earlier performance,” Nyamahunge explained.
She added that UNEB questioned how learners who had initially performed well failed to answer the same questions just months later, reinforcing the conclusion that irregularities had occurred.
Nyamahunge warned schools against engaging in dishonest practices to artificially boost performance.
“Schools must stop seeking external support for learners who are not adequately prepared. This reflects weaknesses in service delivery and undermines the integrity of education,” she said.
She also urged schools and parents to support the affected candidates to repeat and continue with their education.
The 66 candidates were part of over 1,000 pupils who registered for PLE in Hoima City last year across both private and government-aided schools.
Efforts to obtain comments from school authorities, including Mapeera Primary School Deputy Headteacher Stephen Opige, and parents were unsuccessful, as calls went unanswered.