The Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party has urged the Ministry of Education and UNEB to extend the deadline for schools to submit continuous assessments after 18 percent of students missed the September 30th deadline, warning that candidate classes could be disadvantaged weeks before examinations start.
Addressing journalists at a press conference on Wednesday, September 30th, 2026, at Uganda House, the Party Spokesperson, Sharon Arach Oyat said the assessments carry 20 percent of final results, while Primary Seven candidates are due to sit papers from about 30 October.
She said the ministry had set rules but had not followed up with spot-checks to establish why some schools had not submitted. The continuous assessment system was still relatively new, adding that schools did not all move forward at the same pace.
“Let them help these schools get these assessments in time, and let them give them more time,” Oyat said.
Oyat suggested staggered deadlines like UNEB’s first, second and third registration windows, so schools that miss one deadline still have a chance to comply.
She thanked teachers in both government and private schools for preparing children throughout the year, but said government should take responsibility for implementation instead of leaving schools to cope alone.
Oyat also connected the education crisis to a broader economic squeeze. Delayed rains had affected farm production, while the trade order and removal of unroadworthy taxis had cost roadside traders and drivers livelihoods without offering alternatives.
She said unemployment, hunger and falling household incomes were contributing to rising crime and making it harder for parents to keep children in school. Health and education, she argued, could not be separated, as a malnourished child would struggle to thrive in class.
UPC called on government to roll out reforms gradually, provide alternative work for people displaced by new policies, and recover stolen public funds so that money could be returned to essential services.
