KAMPALA, UGANDA – In a move aimed at improving national exam results, dozens of teachers in Uganda’s Soroti City and Soroti District have been required to take the same mock exams as their students to qualify as examiners.
The decision follows poor Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) results in 2023. According to Samuel Eceku, chairperson of the examinations committee for Soroti City, only teachers who scored above 95 percent on the mock tests were allowed to mark the papers of the 7,433 students who took the exams.
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“For you to qualify to be an examiner, you must also sit for the assessment, and when you pass, you will be appointed to mark,” Eceku said.
The initiative mirrors a similar effort last year in the Nakaseke District, where 51 Primary Seven teachers from underperforming schools were administered an exam to assess their competency. That move also sparked outrage among some educators.
Alice Amulen, the examinations chairperson for Soroti District, said the mock exams went smoothly for the 4,416 pupils in her district. She said the results would give an indication of how students are likely to perform on the end-of-year PLE.
Meanwhile, Alfred Enyidu, the head of the Head Teachers’ Association in Soroti City, urged parents to ensure their children return to school early after the mock exams to allow them to complete the syllabus. He also cautioned head teachers against exam malpractice.
Final PLE exams are scheduled to take place in a little over two months.
