UNEB's Executive Secretary Dan Odongo expressed concern over schools enrolling students with health conditions like asthma, epilepsy, and sickle cell anaemia under the special needs category.
The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has raised concerns over a growing trend of schools registering normal candidates under the special needs category to gain unfair advantages in the 2024 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE).
According to UNEB, 48 special needs candidates were absent during the 2024 national exams, a situation that has highlighted the need for better monitoring and support for students with genuine needs.
In an official statement released with the PLE results, UNEB's Executive Secretary Dan Odongo expressed concern over schools enrolling students with health conditions like asthma, epilepsy, and sickle cell anaemia under the special needs category.
These students, despite their conditions, do not require the accommodations provided to candidates with more severe disabilities.
"While a student with asthma might experience an attack during an exam, this does not necessarily warrant the specialised assistance offered to blind or deaf candidates," Odongo explained.
"This practice of misrepresenting the health status of students has raised questions about fairness and transparency in the registration process."
According to UNEB, the intention behind these manipulations is to benefit from additional support such as extra time during the exams, which could give the students an unfair edge over their peers.
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Odongo said this issue is a cause for concern and emphasised that UNEB is committed to investigating the matter to ensure that only candidates with genuine special needs receive the appropriate accommodations in the future.
In the PLE results released today, a total of 3,328 candidates registered under the special needs, with 48 absentees.
In addition, 388 candidates were ungraded, and 371 candidates were placed in Division IV.
The majority of students, however, performed relatively well, with 1,713 achieving Division II, 627 in Division III, and 181 in Division I.
In terms of special needs candidates, results were mixed. Out of 25 blind candidates, three were awarded Division I, while 20 secured Division II, and six achieved Division III.
Low-vision candidates saw similar results, with only 64 of the 651 candidates passing in Division I.
Despite this, the inclusion of low-vision candidates in the exams demonstrated an ongoing effort to include students with various disabilities in mainstream education.
These findings emphasize the importance of ensuring that the registration process for special needs candidates is both fair and transparent.
UNEB has vowed to address the issue and take necessary actions to prevent further manipulation in future exams.
