11 Mbarara Main prison Inmates sit UCE exams under the new curriculum
Eleven inmates at Mbarara main prison secondary school have joined the over 379000 candidates that have begun this year’s Uganda certificate of education UCE exams on Monday.
Speaking to the Nile Post, the head teacher of Mbarara main prison schools, Winnie Musanyana noted that, “the pioneers of this year’s lower secondary curriculum have
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been taught by inmate teachers”.
“On rare occasions, have we been forced to hire external teachers from different schools where need be but it definitely hasn’t been that easy” Musanyana said.
Ten of the eleven inmates are convicts serving different sentences ranging from defilement, murder, aggravated robbery and theft while the eleventh one is a former inmate who had registered from the same center while he was still on remand before he was later released after serving his sentence.
“Ten of the eleven are currently on remand and the eleventh registered with us while he was still serving his sentence but was released after serving the sentence so he returned as a candidate to sit for his exams but a free man” Musanyana told the Nile post.
All eleven are sitting for the new lower secondary school curriculum national exams assessment, none is undertaking the outdated curriculum.
Mbarara main prison secondary school acquired the UNEB center number last year 2023 and it is then that they had the first candidates sit for national exams within the prison premises and so have this year’s inmates of the new lower secondary curriculum.
“Previously the last three sittings, our candidates would sit from other schools outside the prison until last year when we received a UNEB Center number, this year our candidates have sat from within the prison premises making this the second sitting within the prison” Munyana said.
Munyana further disclosed that the overall populace of the Mbarara main prison secondary school amounts to 399, with 124 students enrolled in the secondary level and the remainder attending primary classes.
The Uganda Prisons Service Act Reforms (2006) placed inmates’ education at the center of inmates’ rehabilitation along with industry & farms (Directly Productive Activities). This helps in curbing recidivism (habitual relapse to previous criminal conduct).