KAMPALA —
‘There are two ways to be fooled: One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true’. Soren Kierkegaard In Statistics, we refer to this as the Type I error where the researcher rejects the null hypothesis, yet it is actually correct, and the Type II error, where the researcher still fails to reject the null hypothesis, aware of the fact that it is actually invalid, or false. This write-up is prepared against this background.
An audio clip confirming/complimenting the content of this masterpiece, has equally been attached. Unlike my previous correspondences, addressed to you, Maama, you will realize that, this correspondence, is more, or less addressed to the people whose names have been cited in the brief’s subject matter, but, for purposes of ensuring that it [i.e., the correspondence] hits your desk with the urgency it deserves, and to also remove all doubt, I have decided to specifically address it to you.
I suggest we share this message as widely as possible, in a bid to clean up our country’s education sector, of course, starting with these two agencies —UNEB and NCDC.
The beauty is, at least all the relevant authorities have already been informed about the DIRT in these two agencies. A comprehensive report detailing the mismanagement of national exams and the national curriculum, of course, is already at the desk of the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports; the matter has also already been brought to the attention of the President, officially. Parliament [the Speaker] is already informed, about the same.
The Inspector General of Government (IGG) is already in the know, and all the other relevant authorities. Now the task at hand is to sensitize the public, about the same, the reason I am humbly requesting you to please kindly share this message with all your contacts/compatriots. And please do not hesitate to ask them to also share it with their colleagues, as well.
Too unfortunate that all the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) officials whom I had here (on WhatsApp), including Grace Baguma, the Center’s director, herself, decided to block me, rather than take note of the issues I am relaying, and work on them, accordingly.
Please kindly do me good and share this audio clip with her, and request her to share it, as well. I want her to know that the books she is producing at the Centre, are to the VERY LARGEST EXTENT plagiarized, a clear indication that the money given to her by both government, moreover, using taxpayer’s money, and the one obtained from donors, as well, is just swindled, rather than serve its intended purpose.
And to seal the deal, even UNEB under its executive director, Dan Odong, has time immemorial, assessed learners using this EXCEEDINGLY PLAGIARIZED LITERATURE There countless questions surrounding the selection of UNEB examiners and marking centres.
The public needs to be educated, for example, on why a number of selected schools have tens and tens of examiners, while others, and to the extreme, even districts, sub-regions, or regions, have just a handful of examiners, or even none, at all.
Why is it that marking of UNEB examinations happens largely in private schools, than public schools? Besides, why can’t these examinations be marked on neutral grounds? How is the deal of marking centres sealed? Precisely, who does the bargain on behalf of UNEB and who represents the host school?
Do the schools selected for this business go through a bidding process, or? And why has UNEB given green light to all its examiners to walk out of the marking centre with its marking guides, moreover, after duping the public that these guides are an exclusive property of the Board, while denying the rest of the beneficiaries access to these guides?
Why has UNEB simply looked on while its examiners are discussing its exams in seminars? For goodness sake, if this is not examination malpractice, then what is it? Why is it that of the 40 marking centres that marked the 2020 examinations, three campuses of Seeta high schools (i.e., Main, Green, and Mbalaba campuses), all concentrated on the marking of the Uganda Certificate of Education Examinations (UCEE), what you call Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE), as if one can sit a certificate, as an exam? Was this arrived at after a raffle draw, or? And if the decision was reached after a draw, couldn’t we have this exercise repeated? Was it by choice, or, … to accord the Muslim fraternity only three marking centres?
Why is it that the 2019 Primary Leaving Examinations results, were released from Kampala Parents’ School?
How was this decision arrived at? Aware of the fact that Kampala Parents’ gave out its facility free of charge, should we conclude that the Uganda Bureau of Statistic (UBoS) and the Prime Minister’s chambers, the two well-known places where the release of these examination results had been done, time immemorial, out of the blue, began charging you, of course, as a Board for this service? And if yes, couldn’t you opt for another seemingly neutral ground, say State House, Lugogo Cricket Oval, or even at your offices in Ntinda?
Let’s look at it this way, Mr. executive director (Dan Odong), sir: Would you believe the outcome of the Presidential elections, regardless, if Justice Simon Byabakama/the Electoral Commission, chose to announce the outcome of these elections either at Kyadondo Road (National Resistance Movement headquarters), or Kamwokya (National Unity Platform headquarters)?
For goodness sake, how did the Kampala Parents’ pupils who were equally waiting for their results, just like pupils of other schools, countrywide, find their way in the room/hall were these results were being released? Who invited them, there?
Precisely, what is the name/position of the person, of course, in UNEB, who signed their invitation letters? And for what reasons where they invited? Mr. Director, sir, are you also aware that the name Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), under which you are operating is equally WRONG?
Surely, how possible is it for you, as a Board, to carry out business, as expected, under such a wrong name? Of what relevance is your English Language department, to you, as a Board, if they cannot even guide you on the basics of the Queen’s language?
Furthermore, are you also aware that you are trading without a vision? Yes, what you call a vision is way too far from a vision statement! For goodness sake, how do you expect to execute your constitutional mandate, as expected, exclusive of a vision? And are you also aware that the examinations you are administering are EXCEEDINGLY WRONG? Surely, are these exams being handled by subject specialists, consultants, or experts, par se?
For goodness sake, how are these examinations, wrong as they are, marked, scored, and graded? Mr. Odong, of course, with your counterpart, Grace Baguma, don’t you think you are the people who have failed this country, for the years, to the largest extent?
Don’t you think you are the ones failing His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, and his government, of course, in service delivery? Don’t you think you are the ones who have denied us the opportunity of jumping onto the middle-income countries’ wagon?
Don’t you think you are the persons responsible, of course, to the largest extent, for the suffering of Ugandans in the Arab world? Don’t you think you are the people responsible, of course, to the largest extent, for the rampant examination malpractice, evident in the very exams you administer?
For goodness sake, Mr. Director, sir, why is it that your examiners are publishing their pamphlets with the aid of UNEB marking guides? The mere fact that someone has the audacity of even adding these words to their book: .. with UNEB Marking Guides, and no action is taken against them, clearly implies, this is the official position of the Board.
Samples of these books are already with the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, sir; feel free to reach out to her for details, about the same.
Madam Grace Baguma, in this information era, how do you obtain billions and billions of shillings/dollars for official business, and together with your team, you decide to sit under shades of mango trees, or hire lodging facilities in very expensive hotels, of course, with your laptops and/or ipads, and then start consulting Mr. Google, moreover, in copy and paste form, and think you will walk away scorch free? And who told you we copyright [©️] plagiarized literature? What rights do you have, as an author [NCDC], over work that you very well know is PLAGIARIZED?
Do you know how much money government (could be) is losing over your dubious actions at the Centre? And are you aware that the curriculum, including the so-called new curriculum, contains countless gaps?
Mr. Odong (UNEB) and Madam Baguma (NCDC), in your opinion, as ‘leaders’, do you think you are the rightful persons to hold the positions you are holding? Don’t you think you have fed the public on lies for more than enough, the reason you should resign, before the long arm of the law catches up with you?
For how long are you going to mislead our lovely President and the Minister, surely? Without eating up any of my words, allow me to end this write-up by saying, the two of you are EXCEEDINGLY INCOMPETENT, the reason you should tender in your resignation letters to the appointing authority.
Arguably, Maama, a commission of inquiry, into the conduct of business in both UNEB and NCDC, is long overdue. Like I have told you before, these two agencies, are not only dirty, but exceedingly stinking, the reason you ought to swing into action, as soon as you find it appropriate, before the situation worsens, beyond its current state.
Take it, or leave it, Maama, Dan Odong and Grace Baguma, are very UNFIT for the positions they are holding, the reason I am calling upon both of them to resign, with immediate effect, lest the law swings into action.
Without any doubt, both UNEB and NCDC, are to the LARGEST EXTENT responsible for the ongoing examination malpractice, more so, in exams, they themselves administer. One wonders why UNEB has simply looked on, while its examiners are persuasively advertising themselves. Believe it, or not, Maama, these people/agencies have FOOLED Ugandans, moreover, including you, as the minister, and our lovely President, for more than enough-the reason, I am appealing to them to resign, before the long arm of the law can catch up with them, as earlier stated.
Your timely intervention into this matter, shall be highly appreciated.
Thank you!
Jonathan Kivumbi
Education, communication and language skills analyst jonathankivumbi2017@gmail.com Whatsapp 0702303190 (0770880185)
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