Over 10,000 sit exam under Ebola lockdown
Pupils pictured during their Primary Leaving Examination recently. PHOTO/ FILE
What you need to know:
- As part of the campaign to ensure the movement to and from the respective exam centres, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) has dispatched 35 vans to ease the movement of PLE candidates to their respective examination centres.
More than 15,000 candidates have sat the 2022 Primary Leaving Examination from the two districts of Mubende and Kassanda under strict observation of the lockdown guidelines set to mitigate the spread of the Ebola virus.
As part of the campaign to ensure the movement to and from the respective exam centres, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) has dispatched 35 vans to ease the movement of PLE candidates to their respective examination centres.
Mr Asaph Kabuunga, the Mubende District Education Officer, said 20 vans have been allocated to them to facilitate the candidates’ movement.
“The drivers of the respective vans have special instructions guided by both the Unicef and the Mubende Ebola taskforce to ensure the safety of the children,” he said yesterday.
Mr Kabuunga said they have 5,155 PLE candidates sitting their respective exams at 105 centres.
“The district Ebola taskforce has issued other guidelines to respective school headteachers in line with the Ebola disease. We are registering the parents and the different destinations where the pupils will be travelling after the last paper, he addded.
Ms Rosemary Byabashaija, the Mubende Resident District Commissioner and chairperson of the Mubende Ebola taskforce, said the Unicef vans are a big relief to the candidates, parents and school authorities.
At St Kizito Madudu Primary School that is located at the epicentre of the Ebola Sudan virus outbreak in Mubende, the headteacher, Mr Maxim Nkwesiga, said the vans would be a big relief to candidates who have to trek a distance of 6kms to the PLE exam centre.
“All the 28 candidates sitting PLE have turned up for the final briefing exercise. We have the temperature guns and we are happy to have the vans,” he said after the briefing of candidates yesterday.
In Kassanda District where 5,230 candidates are sitting PLE, the District Education Officer, Mr Abdul Lukooya Sekabira, said they will follow strict guidelines.
“UNICEF has provided the district with 15 vans to facilitate the transport of candidates from areas that are beyond 2kms,” he said.
Instructions to drivers
Use of temperature guns to check the temperature of each pupil boarding the vehicle nad fumigation of the vehicle after the day’s trip and. The drivers are also under instruction not to park at non-gazetted areas and must be on the road by 6am.
