Uneb seeks smooth flow as S4 exams start amid Ebola

As the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) exams kick off today, the examination body has sought special permission from police to facilitate their invigilators in Mubende and Kassanda districts, following the presidential directive to lock down the two Ebola epicentres.

The officials also want smooth movement of examination materials in the districts. The Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) is slated to start conducting the UCE examinations across the country today, with more than 349,000 candidates set to write their first paper at 9am. 

“President Museveni said schools should remain open, hence the examinations will take place in those districts as earlier planned. However, we shall need special permission for clearing our vehicles transporting examination materials and Uneb officials,” the Uneb executive director, Mr Daniel Odongo, said yesterday by telephone.

Mr Odongo said they were working with officials from the police, education and health ministries to clear movement of officials from Uneb to do their work

He said police should also permit the supervisors to use boda bodas that were banned from operating for the next 21 days.

He added that all the Uneb officials have been given letters to identify themselves and that these should not be interrupted.

“We are working with police headquarters who are giving necessary instruction to the territorial police in the affected districts to make things easy for us,” Mr Odongo said.

In a separate statement issued by the Uneb spokesperson, Ms Jennifer Kalule, the contracted examination invigilators in the two districts are advised to move up to Mityana  Police Station for , or to contact their area supervisors for guidance. 

She added that those travelling should use transit vehicles through Mubende to Fort Portal or through Mubende to Kibaale.

Police speak out
When contacted yesterday, the police spokesperson, Mr Fred Enanga, said: “The police Uneb liaison officer with guidance from the director police health services, has effectively observed the protective action guidelines. Safe passage, delivery and transportation of Uneb materials are in place.”

President Museveni on Saturday imposed a 21-day lockdown on Mubende and Kassanda to contain an Ebola outbreak that has already claimed about 20 lives.

The President also slapped a curfew on the two districts which start from 7pm to 6am, banned Public, private transport and boda bodas.

Strict Ebola guidelines
Several schools located in the Ebola virus disease high risk districts are to observe strict health guidelines and adhere to the set Ebola alert principles as Uneb rolls out its first set of examinations today. 

In Mubende, schools are under instruction to take readings of candidates’ body temperature and observe the standard operating procedures before candidates sit their respective papers.

Ms Pauline Namuleme, the deputy head teacher at St Andrew Kaggwa Madudu Secondary School in Madudu Sub-county, said the school was yet to register any confirmed case except one contact being monitored by the health teams.

“We have been able to access the temperature guns, hand washing equipment and that will help ensure that the students are safe while in the examination rooms. We were part of the panic and anxiety but we are settling after getting a series of sensitisation from the health teams,” she said.

“The school has an Ebola taskforce composed of both the teaching staff and the students. We can now respond to any suspicious case that is supposed to be forwarded to the Health teams,” she added.

At Global Senior Secondary School, Madudu, where 24 UCE candidates are set to start exams today, the head teacher, Mr Robert Ssewanyana, said Ebola partly disorganised the school programmes but the UCE candidates are ready for the examinations.

In Kyegegwa, the education officer, Mr Hussein Mwesige, said the district is ready to allow all its candidates to sit their UCE  exams.

Mr Odongo revealed that all the examination papers were transported yesterday to Uneb centres that have been mounted at police stations in various districts across the country.

These exams according to Mr Odongo will be kept in Uneb containers mounted at the police stations and will be safeguarded by a team of officials from Uneb, police and UPDF.

The heads of school are slated to pick up the first paper (mathematics paper one) at 8.30am from the police stations and return answered scripts by 1pm and take paper two at 1.30pm.

Compiled by Damali Mukhaye,Dan Wandera, Alex Ashaba And Alex Tumuhimbise