Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has confirmed that it will reprint Primary Leaving Exam (PLE) result slips for nearly 3,972 pupils from 51 Kampala-based schools after their initial copies were reportedly lost. The missing slips are for candidates who sat their exams in 2019.
According to sources, the slips were lost by the City Inspector of Schools under unclear circumstances. Initially, there was suspicion that the slips may have been delivered to the wrong school, but this theory has been ruled out, and the whereabouts of the slips remain unknown. UNEB has already verified the serial numbers of the affected students and will commence the printing of new slips soon.
The missing slips were crucially needed for students, most of whom are currently in senior three, to register for the Uganda Vocational Qualifications Framework, which assesses vocational occupations under the new lower secondary curriculum. The deadline for registration for the vocational assessments, which will be conducted by the Directorate of Industrial Training, is set for later in November this year.
To ensure that affected learners are registered for the exams, head teachers at the affected schools were advised by KCCA and UNEB officials to instruct parents to obtain a verification statement, which is normally issued in cases where the original results slip has been lost. This was coming at a cost to parents.
However, parents of affected students from Greenhill Academy in Kibuli refused to follow this suggestion and sought legal advice, resulting in a petition to UNEB and KCCA with the intention to sue.
The petition demanded that the missing slips be produced since the parents had paid for them during registration or face legal action. In response to the concerns raised by parents, discussions have taken place between KCCA officials and UNEB, and as a result, the examination body has agreed to print new slips for the affected students.
UNEB spokesperson, Jennifer Kalule, stated that one of the reasons for the delay in making a decision was due to concerns about printing new slips and the possibility of the old ones resurfacing. However, she said that UNEB is taking the necessary measures to ensure that the newly printed slips will nullify the previously issued ones.
Kalule emphasized that this is a unique circumstance and should not be considered a precedent for UNEB to regularly reprint lost slips. She advised that those who may have lost their slips should follow the appropriate procedures and obtain verification statements.
Experts have warned that UNEB should not simply rely on providing one-time solutions, but should instead review its guidelines to address all unexpected occurrences and establish standardized procedures for dealing with such situations.
