Kitintale Progressive Secondary School students put up a spirited fight in protest of the school administration’s refusal to allow their colleagues with fees balances to sit for UCE.
The Uganda National Exams Board (UNEB) commenced Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations across the country on Friday, October 13, 2023, with a briefing and actual exams starting Monday, October 16, 2023, with a Geography paper. Unfortunately, the school authorities denied students with fees balances to take the exams.
According to the students, the school authorities issued an order not to allow students with fees balances to sit for their final exams; five of their colleagues had not completed fees.
Sharif Ssebunya one of the protesting students at the school, said that fees cannot be used as a yardstick to measure one’s future; therefore, it is unfair that the school has chosen to treat their colleagues in that manner.
“As students, we are standing with our colleagues; we will not all go in for exams until the school authorities allow them to sit for exams. Money is just a visitor; today you have tomorrow gone, and they are also parents; they should be more understanding,” said Ssebunya and his colleagues.
Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, on his Twitter handle, referred to this kind of act by the school authorities as inhumane, psychologically torturing to the students, and blocking finalists from taking exams who had toiled for four years to prepare.
He applauded the other students for putting up a spirited fight in defence of their colleagues by staging a protest outside the examination room, forcing the school to revisit their earlier stand.
“Instead of torturing them minutes to exams, why not retain their results and certificates after school? Anyway, I applaud their colleagues; they deserve medals for standing up for their friends,” wrote Balaam on Twitter.
Jennifer Kalule Musumba, spokesperson for UNEB, said that they had instructed all school heads to allow all students with fees balances to sit for their exams, and they would help them by withholding the results.