According to Loy Ariye the girl has been revising before she gave birth. The young mother has been allowed to enter the examinations room together with her baby to ease breast feeding.
A 15-year- old girl is among the candidates sitting for Primary
Leaving Examinations- PLE at Arua Prisons Primary School, Arua City.
The girl who is a mother of a one-month-old baby gave birth during the lockdown when
schools were closed following the outbreak of covid-19.
According to Loy Ariye the headteacher of the school, the girl
said she has been preparing for the exams before she gave birth. She adds that the teenage mother has been allowed to enter the
examination room together with the baby so that she can be able to breastfeed
the child.
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In Arua public primary school, 192 candidates were registered but
one girl absconded from the examinations for unknown reasons.
Rose Amanziru the headteacher of the school says that on the
second day of the exams, they received the examination materials on time unlike
on Tuesday when the rains disrupted the distribution of the exams.
Joel Afeku the headteacher of homing Dave Primary School in Arua City says that despite the COVID-19 crisis they had adequate
preparations and expects good results from the current set of P.7
candidates.
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In Serere District a 16- year- old girl is sitting her Primary
Leaving Examination- PLE at Serere HCIV after giving birth on Monday
night.
On Tuesday morning, after consultations with PLE scouts and Serere
district education officials resolved to allow the new mother to sit the
examination on her hospital bed and was assigned a UNEB supervisor.
During the lockdown, more than 20,000 cases of pregnancy,
involving school-going children were reported in different districts, according
to Raising Voices. The exact number is however believed to be higher than this.
According to statistics obtained from the Ministry of Education
Gender Unit’s preliminary investigations, there are about 200 pregnant
finalists that reported to education institutions upon reopening. However,
there is a likelihood for the number to be higher as some private schools, didn’t
report such cases to the unit.
The majority of the cases were reported in
Eastern Uganda with districts such as Iganga, Soroti and Yumbe in West Nile
recording high numbers.
William Mugisha
Freelancer