the Sports State Minister, Denis Hamson Obua, says they consulted Uganda National Examinations Board-UNEB and reached a final decision not to give special UCE examinations to the players. He told the Education Committee of parliament chaired by Jacob Opolot said giving the players special exams will open a Pandora Box
There will
be no special consideration for athletes who missed the Uganda Certificate of
Education- UCE exams while representing the country, the Education and Sports
Ministry has revealed. Several candidates on the Hippos Under-20 and Cubs Under-17
national teams missed their UCE exams while representing Uganda at the African
Cup of Nations in Mauritania and Morocco respectively.
Some of the players who missed the exams are Alpha “Thierry” Ssali, a candidate
at Kitante Hill School, Travis Mutyaba, a candidate at St Mary’s College
Kitende, Oscar Mawa of Gombe High School, Ivan Irinimbabazi from Royal Giants
High School and Elvis Mwanje from Masaka SS. The player’s parents demanded that
their children get special consideration to write their exams since they were
on national duty.
They petitioned parliament to compel the Ministry of Education to consider
giving the players special exams. Local music
artist, Moses Ssali alias Bebe Cool, whose son Alpha “Thierry” Ssali, was part of the Hippos Under-20 team
expressed disappointment with the inability of the Government to ensure
that the students who were out on a national duty sit their examinations.
Parliament referred the matter to the Education and Sports
Ministry, which promised to consult other stakeholders on what can be done. Now, the Sports State Minister, Denis Hamson
Obua, says they consulted Uganda National Examinations Board-UNEB and reached a
final decision not to give special UCE examinations to the players.
He told the
Education Committee of parliament chaired by Jacob Opolot said giving the
players special exams will open a Pandora Box.
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Opolot questioned whether the different stakeholders including the parents and
the students were informed of the risk they were taking.
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Cyrus Aogon, the Kumi Municipality MP said the Government
needs to come up with a provision for sportsmen, so as not to discourage them.
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Since Senior three students have just enrolled this year, this means the
students will have to wait and sit with them UCE exams.
