UCE 2022: Student loses sight during examination

Officials from Uganda National Examination Board (Uneb) were on Tuesday shocked after they received reports that a candidate in northern Uganda was unable to complete her Mathematics exams after she mysteriously went blind.

The student (name withheld), a candidate at Kitgum Comprehensive College, reportedly went blind a few hours upon entering the examination hall on Monday. 

Senior Four candidates started their Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations on Monday, with Mathematics Paper One in the morning and Paper Two in the evening.

In an interview with Monitor yesterday, Uneb spokesperson Jenipher Kalule said the candidate reportedly went blind one and a half hours after she started her first paper.

“The school administrators reported that the candidate entered the examination room when she was okay. After one and a half hours, she started crying, causing commotion in the examination room,” Ms Kalule said.

She explained that when the invigilators approached the student in question, she claimed that she had started experiencing loss of sight and she could no longer see what she was writing.

“She was rushed to the hospital and she recovered her sight and demanded that she goes back to sit for Mathematics Paper Two in the afternoon,” Ms Kalule said.

Ms Kalule said unfortunately, upon entering the examination hall to sit for the afternoon paper, the student lost her sight again. 

The students had only written her name on the paper.

Recovery

However, after some school leaders prayed for her, she reportedly regained her sight and was able to sit for the exams yesterday.

The school head teacher, Mr Charles Odongo, is said to have notified Uneb officials that the candidate had regained her sight and was able to do her Chemistry Practicals.

She is expected to do her Physics Practicals today.

As a remedy, Uneb proposed to get her an aide, who would read for her the questions and write for her as she dictates in case she loses her sight again.

Ms Kalule said since the student wrote her name on both the papers, Uneb assumes she sat for the exams.

This means the student will get F9 in Mathematics.