SCHOOL REOPENING: 2021 National Exams PLE, UCE & UACE Set to be Done Next Year

Government has resolved that national exams — Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) — for the year 2021 will not be conducted this year.

Before Covid19 disrupted the academic calendar, assessment body Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) had always conducted national exams from October to December.

But the 2020 Covid19 disruption saw PLE, UCE and UACE 2020 examinations pushed to March through May 2021. Results would later be released months later.

However, while there should ordinarily be candidate classes, the Covid19 pandemic has made it impossible for Primary Six, Senior Three and Senior Five students to study, complete the syllabi and get promoted to the candidate classes.

Now, it has emerged that school reopening for primary and secondary school classes could be pushed to January 2022.

A meeting to decide on the reopening of schools that happened this Thursday resolved that examinations be conducted some time next year after the reopening of schools.

There will be interventions to ensure continuity of learning so that the semi-candidate classes (P6, S3 and S5) will be promoted to sit national exams in 2022.