Uganda National Examination Board has allowed pregnant girls to register for final exams. While releasing the program for registration of candidate classes today at media center, the executive secretary UNEB Dan Odongo said that many girls who got pregnant during the COVID-19 lock down are traumatized and denying them the opportunity to sit their final examinations would be double jeopardy.
Odongo also said that if many girls are not allowed to sit for exams because they are pregnant then this will also derail the gains of gender inclusiveness attained so far in reducing the disparity between girls and boys registering for their final examinations and finishing a given academic cycle.
The examination body has also warned head teachers not to inflate the registration fees for candidate classes as the registration process starts today.
Odongo says that the board has not increased the fees from UGX34000 for PLE, UGX164,000 for UCE and UGX186000 for UACE candidates.
He has also strongly warned district education officers against fraudulent practice of registering pupils from private primary schools in government schools as UPE candidates.
He said that some education officers have been getting registration fees from these candidates and do not remit the money to UNEB.
UNEB also urges the schools to ensure that the candidates register with in five weeks as those who register late will not be allowed.
He says that government will only pay registration fees for candidates under the government programs of Universal Primary Education (UPE), Universal Secondary Education (USE), and Universal Post 'O' Level Education and Training (UPOLET).