Africa-Press – Uganda. The director and head teacher of St Mary Secondary School in Mbale City are reportedly on the run after parents found out this week that Uganda National Examination Board (Uneb), had withheld the school results for both Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE).
The parents and teachers interviewed, accuse the head teacher, Mr Wilson Makinya, and director, Mr Richard Owino, of faking results for some candidates in order to buy time to seek for the release of the withheld results.
“The head teacher gave some candidates, who sat for UCE and UACE, their results and they had indeed passed well. He claimed he had downloaded the results from the Uneb portal but unfortunately, in both situations, the parents could not access the results on their own via phone, arousing suspicion,” one of the teachers at the school, who preferred anonymity, said.
About 80 students sat for UCE exams at the school and about 16 students sat for UACE exams but results were allegedly withheld by Uneb over failure to clear registration fees.
Parents cry out
Mr Beatrix Mafabi, a parent, told Monitor on Monday that parents stormed the school to demand for an explanation on why their children have not received their results.
“They (school management) kept on providing explanations that did not add up. We paid school fees and the Uneb registration fees but our children could not receive their results via phones like others,” Mr Mafabi, said.
Mr Peter Makai said the school administration is playing with the future of their children, while another parent,
Mr Stephen Wesomoyo, said the ministry of Education should intervene.
Mr Mafabi said the aggrieved parents have reported the matter to the police for investigation.
The Elgon regional police spokesperson, Mr Rogers Taitika, yesterday said investigations have commenced into the matter.
Meanwhile, the Mbale Resident City Commissioner, Mr John Rex Aachilla, said a manhunt is ongoing for the head teacher and director.
“It’s true I got the information from the affected students who came to my office and reported the matter about the withheld results. I told them to come with their parents, who also confirmed that they paid school fees for their children,”Mr Aachilla said.
“The director of studies told me the problem came from the head teacher who reportedly misappropriated about Shs 7.2 million Uneb registration fees for UCE exam and an unknown amount for UACE exams,” Mr Aachilla said.
He said the school would be closed if candidates had failed to get their results by March 7 (yesterday).
Mr Owino, the school director when contacted, said, “Have you investigated the allegation? Can you try to investigate the truth? If you have done an investigation then, go on and publish the story.”
While releasing the 2022 senior four results on February 9, Uneb’s executive director, Dan Odongo, said the body withheld results of at least 1,035 candidates who sat UCE due to examination malpractice.
Results of 113 candidates who sat UACE in 2022 were also withheld.
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