The Ministry of Education has announced plans to engage stakeholders in response to the situation at Cream Field Vocational Secondary School in Nakifuma, where 18 Senior Four students were unable to sit for their Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations due to failure by the school to register them with the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB).

The students missed their first exam papers on Monday, an incident that has triggered widespread concern among parents, education officials, and the public.

Despite collecting registration fees from parents, the school administration did not remit the funds to UNEB, leaving the candidates ineligible to sit the national exams.

As a result, the affected students face the possibility of repeating the entire academic year or, in a worst-case scenario, starting over from Senior One.

Speaking at a press briefing at the Uganda Media Centre on Monday afternoon, the Minister of State for Higher Education, John Chrysostom Muyingo, condemned the actions of the school.

He described it as a criminal offense to collect examination registration fees and fail to forward them to UNEB.

Muyingo stated that the government will engage relevant stakeholders to explore possible solutions for the affected learners and also pledged action against those responsible within the school administration.

In a related development, the Minister also addressed the ongoing strike by arts teachers, criticizing their continued industrial action as unprofessional.

Arts teachers have been on strike since the start of the third term, protesting the government’s failure to fulfill a promised salary increment.

However, Muyingo urged teachers to return to the classroom while discussions with their umbrella body, the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU), are still ongoing.

He assured them that government is committed to increasing their salaries in the 2026/2027 financial year.

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