Where are the 12, 000 pupils who missed PLE?

The Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) has said 12,293 pupils who registered for Primary Leaving Examinations last year did not sit for the exams.
According to Mr Dan Odongo, the Uneb executive secretary, 671,923 candidates registered but only 659, 633 appeared for the examination papers, meaning 1.8 per cent did not show up in November to sit the examinations.
This number of registered candidates missing PLE, Mr Odongo said, has been declining in the last five years except in 2015 where absentee children increased to 19,614.
Uneb officials, while releasing the 2018 PLE results on Thursday could not explain why children register but later do not appear for the examinations.
However, Dr Tonny Mukasa Lusambu, the Ministry of Education assistant commissioner for Primary Education, said in a separate interview that an earlier investigation by the ministry showed some children who registered and missed exams were refugees who returned to their homes while others realised they would not perform well and chose not to sit for the examinations.
In other instances, the girls get married before the examination time while others venture into petty businesses such as brick making.
“The reasons are quite diverse. It is unfortunate and regrettable. We have done some sensitisation and encourage the public to continue monitoring children within their communities so that they ensure those they know are candidates sit the examinations,” Dr Lusambu said.
A survey by Sauti za Wananchi, a civil society organisation, last year indicated that some of the challenges parents face in taking their children to school is the excessive fees the institutions demand for their children to access education. The survey further shows that these financial demands have forced children to leave school.
“Our report shows schools are over-charging parents yet the parents are not able to pay the fees. What is disturbing is that some of the children are in schools implementing Universal Primary Education programme where government meets all the Uneb fees and tuition,’’ Ms Martha Chemutai, the communications officer for Twaweza East Africa said yesterday.
She further said: “when these parents don’t pay, schools use it to block the children from sitting the examinations.”
However, Dr Lusambu said cases of children missing PLE due to fees have reduced because the ministry has been sensitising the public.