The Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations have officially commenced today, with candidates across the country taking their Geography Paper 1 and 2. This year's UCE exams have drawn a total of 364,470 candidates, who are registered at 3,863 examination centers nationwide.
According to the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), of the total candidates, 50.5% are female, amounting to 184,014 candidates, while the remaining 49.5% are male, totaling 180,456 candidates.
A unique examination center, Luzira Upper Prison, is hosting 59 candidates, consisting of 7 females and 52 males. UNEB's Executive Director, Dan Odongo, revealed that out of the 364,470 candidates, 32.5% are funded under the Universal Secondary Education (USE) Program, totaling 118,735 candidates. The remaining 70% are categorized as non-USE candidates, adding up to 245,734. Additionally, 777 candidates fall under the Special Needs Education (SNE) program.
To ensure the exams proceed smoothly, the police have announced that they will deploy 1,036 officers. Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga, emphasized their role in safeguarding the UNEB examinations.
"Police has a mandate to police the UNEB examinations, and to this end, our teams, including Criminal Investigations, Crime Intelligence, Field Force Unit, and general duties, among others, are fully prepared. We are deploying slightly above 1,000 police officers and members of sister security agencies. Our teams will be involved in the protection, transportation, storage, and delivery of UNEB exams and materials in coordination with the UNEB team." he stated.
In addition to police presence, UNEB will deploy 1,113 scouts and 107,941 invigilators across the country to monitor the examinations and ensure their integrity.
As the exams kick off, UNEB's Executive Director issued a stern warning to candidates, cautioning them against engaging in exam malpractice. He emphasized that any candidate found involved in malpractice in one paper would lead to the cancellation of the results for the entire examination. This serves as a strong deterrent against cheating and ensures the credibility of the examination process.
