The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has refuted allegations that the Board is clashing with the Ministry of Education and Sports over the reopening of schools amidst the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
It should be noted that the government, through the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education directed school administrators to come up with work plans for reopening education institutions that were closed in March this year as one of the measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
A few days ago, the government announced that schools would be reopened soon and that students in candidate classes to wit; P.7, S.4, S.6, and finalists at universities would be given priority, such that they can sit for their UNEB examinations.
However, following the development, rumors started circulating that officials at UNEB were not ready to conduct the examinations, as a result of not having had enough time to prepare not only the exams for candidate classes but also invigilators, scouts, markers, and other handlers, which portrayed the Board as clashing with the Ministry of Education about reopening schools.
But the UNEB Executive Secretary Mr. Dan Odongo has since come out to trash allegations, asserting that there is no clash whatsoever between the UNEB and the Ministry of Education.
Odongo revealed this in a statement issued Wednesday, September 9, 2020, which reads in part thus;
‘UNEB has not ‘clashed’ with the Ministry of Education on re-opening of schools
It has come to the attention of the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) that there is news going around on social media indicating that UNEB has ‘clashed’ with the Ministry of Education and Sports on the reopening of schools, and has not set any plans for national examinations.
We would like to clarify that this is not correct. Several Media houses have been calling UNEB to find out its state of readiness to conduct the national examinations, and when those examinations would be conducted.
The response each time has been that UNEB will not make any comments on how ready it is to conduct the examinations, or even when the examinations would be done until there is an official communication from either H. E. The President or, the Hon Minister of Education and Sports on the re-opening of schools. This does not amount to a ‘clash.”
Odongo adds that; “UNEB is proceeding with its preparations to conduct the national examinations at an appropriate time and in accordance with a revised School calendar which will be published by the Ministry of Education and Sports when schools re-open.”