RUVA SCHOOL PRIMARY SEEKS OFFICIAL UNEB CENTER NUMBER

Ruva Primary School P.7 Candidates of 2026, performing a poem at the school (All photos by Onzoma Albert).

By Onzoma Albert

Arua City

Ruva Primary School management committee in Ayivu Division Arua City, is appealing to the Arua City Education Department to secure an official Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) center number for the school.

Without this center number, the school has not been registering candidates directly for national exams, forcing pupils to partner with registered hosting centers.

This situation creates logistical challenges, additional transport costs and risks missing registration deadlines and causing anxiety among pupils who must sit exams in unfamiliar environments.

The school’s current predicament was highlighted during the handover of retiring head teacher Sabastian Enzama Zoyia to the new head teacher, Lillian Alezuyo, transferred from Niva Primary School.

Sabastian Enzama Zoyia (in black coat) hugging Lillian Alezuyo (in white shirt) the new head teacher during the handover and takeover ceremony at the school.

Billy Eriku, the school’s SMC Chairman, emphasized the need for the school to be assigned a center number to streamline exam registration and reduce the burden on students, who presently travel to neighboring Urugbo Primary School to sit for exams.

“The pupils reported to us that although they are taught at their own school here, they sit examinations at a different school, which is an unfamiliar environment causing fear and panic, negatively impacting their performance. I am quite confident that if the city education department could allocate an exam center for the school, learner’s results would significantly improve” he said.

Zilly Buza, Arua City Senior Inspector of Schools, acknowledged the challenges and assured that the education department would consider issuing a center number to the school.

“We have already written a letter to the Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) requesting additional examination center numbers. If UNEB grants these requests, Ruva Primary School will be one of the schools in Arua city to be considered when allocating the new center numbers in recognition of the outgoing head teacher of the school” she said.

Foundation board Chair, SMC Chair, Education officer Ayivu Division and Senior Inspector of Schools Arua City witnessing the handover ceremony at the school.

Founded in the 1980s as a community school and later becoming a government-aided primary school, Ruva has operated for over 20 years without an official UNEB center number.

As a result, the school has had to negotiate and pay another registered school to register its Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) candidates under that school’s center code.

During exam days, pupils often travel significant distances to the host exam center, increasing the risk of fatigue, late arrivals, and potential disqualification due to miscommunication or missed deadlines.

This situation hampers smooth examination processes and affects students’ performance.

Written by newsroom-radiopacis