Exams have begun; let’s return children to school, feed them

What the report says

The Observer reports that Uganda’s national examination season is under way, with Senior Four candidates starting Uganda Certificate of Education papers on Monday this week. Primary Leaving Examination candidates are due for briefing on October 30 and will sit their exams through November 4, while Senior Six candidates are scheduled to sit from November 7 to December 5. The article says 1,627,885 learners are registered this year, described as the country’s largest cohort on record.

In a viewpoint piece, the acting minister of education and sport uses the exam period to call for children who have been kept out of class to be sent back to school. He argues that learning should continue for all pupils who are not sitting exams, and says no child should be prevented from attending because of fees pressure or school-related feeding disputes. The article also discusses the Education Act and says parents or guardians are responsible for providing food, clothing, shelter, medical care and transport, while government supplies teachers, materials and facilities.

The piece further says school meals may be organized with parental support, but should not become a compulsory charge imposed without legal authority. It warns against sending candidates away from exams over unpaid fees in non-free education schools, suggesting instead that schools should allow them to sit and raise the matter with the Uganda National Examinations Board so results can be withheld until balances are cleared. The broader message is that exam integrity, children’s access to schooling, and basic nutrition should all be protected during the term.