By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
NATIONAL
The Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) has refuted media reports claiming that it has suspended the use of motorcycles (Boda Bodas) for transporting examination papers in the upcoming national exams.
During a two-day annual seminar of Local Government leaders and those in charge of the PLE in all districts organized by UNEB to reflect on 2023 PLE Exams and way forward for 2024 Exams, in Kampala recently, the UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo said that the board had discovered that people who transport examinations on Boda Bodas aid in examination malpractice such as leaking of examination papers pointing out an incident in Butambala district where a Boda Boda rider was involved in examination malpractice in the make 2023 exams. This sparked public outrage with many local leaders and school heads saying schools and LGs have no money to facilitate vehicles to transport exams especially in hard to reach areas.
However, speaking to journalists at the release of the timetable for the 2024 exams at Media Centre Kampala, Odongo stressed that the media had misunderstood his earlier comments. He said UNEB does not oppose the use of motorcycles as a means of transportation for examination materials where appropriate, instead, it does allow the practice of assigning Boda Boda riders as distributors of the examination papers.
“This is to clarify that the Board is not against the use of motor cycles as a means of transport by the officials distributing examination papers, where it is applicable. We are however against Boda Boda riders being assigned the role of ‘Distributors of the Examination Papers,” said Odongo.
He said using Boda Boda riders to distribute exams without authorized persons has facilitated malpractice in the past, which he strongly condemned.
A total of 1,320,400 candidates have registered to sit for this year’s the four major examinations compared to last year’s total of 1,224,371, representing an increase of 7.8% candidates. Of the registered candidates, 51.1% are female and 48.9% are male. They include 798,763 PLE candidates, 37,9620 UCE candidates and 142,017 UACE exams.
