Two Masindi PLE candidates miss exams after being married off
The candidate travelled to Kasese District for a holiday but was subsequently married off despite having registered for the national examinations.
Masindi: Two Primary Seven candidates in Masindi Municipality have missed the 2026 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) after reportedly being married off and becoming pregnant following their registration for the national examinations.
The two candidates, whose identities have been withheld because they are minors, were registered at Kinogozi and Karujubu Primary Schools.
The examinations commenced across the country on Tuesday, November 3, with Mathematics in the morning and Social Studies and Religious Education (SST/CRE) in the afternoon. Candidates sat for Science on Wednesday morning and English in the afternoon.
Information obtained from the respective schools indicates that the candidate from Kinogozi Primary School was reportedly married off in Kasese District, where she had travelled for a holiday, while the candidate from Karujubu Primary School became pregnant during the first term after registering for PLE.
Irene Nyamigisa, the Head Teacher of Karujubu Primary School, says she attempted to persuade the girl’s parents to allow her to continue with her education and sit for the examinations, but the child declined, fearing she would face ridicule from fellow learners.
Meanwhile, a source at Kinogozi Primary School says the candidate travelled to Kasese District for a holiday but was subsequently married off despite having registered for the national examinations.
The school had registered 31 candidates, but one did not turn up for the examinations.
However, Lawrence Byarugaba, the Director of St. Lawrence Nursery and Primary School, says the examinations commenced and ended on time, with no major challenges reported.
Byarugaba says all the 42 candidates registered at the school turned up for the examinations.
Peter Wateya, the UNEB examination monitor for Masindi District, declined to disclose the total number of candidates who had missed the examinations across the district by press time.
However, he said the exercise was progressing smoothly, with candidates reporting and completing their papers on time and an excellent turnout recorded.
Wateya also revealed that two candidates from the same family had converted to Islam after registering for PLE and wanted to use their Islamic names during the examinations.
He says he advised the candidates to use the Christian names under which they had registered with UNEB and seek legal guidance after completing the examinations.
Meawhile, a total of 5,892 candidates have sat for the 2026 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) in Masindi District and Masindi Municipality.
Of these, 3,653 candidates were registered in Masindi District, while 2,239 sat from Masindi Municipality.
Masindi District had 74 Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) examination centres, while the municipality had 72 centres.
Wateya said the examinations had been conducted successfully, with candidates starting and completing their papers on schedule.
Wateya said preparations had gone smoothly, adding that reports from across the district indicated that the exercise was conducted without major disruptions.
He also said arrangements had been made to accommodate candidates with special educational needs, noting that UNEB provided the necessary examination materials to enable them to sit their papers without difficulty.
Wateya further revealed that no major challenges, including registration irregularities, examination crashes or fatal incidents, had been reported during the exercise.
He said most of the candidates registered with UNEB had turned up for the examinations but declined to disclose the number of absentees, explaining that the official figures and names of candidates who missed the examinations would be released by UNEB alongside the results.
Monica Kiiza, the Acting Masindi District Education Officer (DEO), commended parents and guardians for supporting their children’s education by providing scholastic materials and paying school fees, particularly in private schools.
Kiiza also applauded teachers for their commitment to teaching and preparing learners for the national examinations.
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