Police in Mitooma District have arrested three secondary school administrators over allegations that they failed to register a Senior Four candidate for the ongoing Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations despite the student reportedly paying the required fees.
The suspects have been identified as Jason Ahereza, the headteacher of Nyakihiita Secondary School, Abias Mujuni, the deputy headteacher of Mayanga Secondary School and Ambrose Centenary, the headteacher of Rwakitanda Secondary School.
The affected student, Twinomugisha Edson, had studied at Nyakihiita Secondary School throughout his Ordinary Level education.
However, because the school does not have a Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) centre number, its headteacher, Ahereza, reportedly attempted to register all 19 Senior Four candidates through Rwakitanda Secondary School.
The arrangement reportedly hit a snag after it emerged that Rwakitanda Secondary School was authorized to register a maximum of 70 candidates.
Edson’s registration file was subsequently transferred to Mayanga Seed Secondary School in an attempt to secure his participation in the examinations.
Despite reportedly fulfilling the financial and registration requirements, Edson allegedly discovered on the day of the examinations that he could not sit his papers because he had not received the required school identity card and UNEB examination permit.
Instead, school authorities allegedly gave him a meal card, leaving him unable to access the examination room.
When Edson reportedly sought permission to contact his parents and inform them about the situation, school administrators allegedly refused to allow him to communicate with them.
He subsequently left the school premises and reported the matter to his family, who initiated the process that led to a police complaint and the arrest of the three administrators.
Mitooma District Police Commander (DPC), SP Bagoole Michael, said the arrests followed a complaint by the student, who discovered that his registration had not been processed when he attempted to sit his national examinations.
“We are in the UNEB season, and Senior Four candidates are currently sitting their exams. Today, we received a complaint from a student who missed exams because he wasn’t registered, yet he had fully paid his registration fees,” SP Bagoole Michael said.
He added that police arrested the three administrators to facilitate investigations into the matter.
CUE IN BAGOOLE…ON THE ARRESTS…ENG//
The arrests come at a critical time when thousands of Senior Four candidates across the country are sitting their UCE examinations, which mark the completion of the lower secondary education cycle.
