The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has announced plans to take disciplinary action against headteachers found guilty of misrepresenting regular students as special needs candidates.
According to UNEB Executive Director, Mr. Daniel Odongo, the board recorded a suspicious 30% increase in the number of special needs candidates registered for the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), prompting the formation of specialist verification teams to scrutinize the applications.
“Upon investigation, we discovered that a significant number of the candidates registered under the special needs category was, in fact, normal students,” Odongo revealed.
He added that UNEB is now collaborating with district inspectors of schools to identify and penalize the responsible headteachers. The penalties will vary depending on the gravity of each case.
In the 2024 examination cycle, a total of 3,328 special needs candidates were registered to sit for the PLE.
UNEB emphasizes that misrepresentation not only undermines the integrity of the examination process but also denies genuine special needs learners the support and accommodations they rightfully deserve.
By Olivia Nabaggala
18th Sept 2025
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