Twelve inmates at Mbarara Main Prison have joined over 430,000 candidates nationwide in sitting for this year’s Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) exams.
Winnie Musanyana, the head teacher of Mbarara Main Prison Secondary School, noted that the number of inmate candidates had increased from 11 last year to 12 this year. She highlighted that all candidates were thoroughly prepared for the exams.
“This year, we have 12 inmates sitting for UCE, compared to 11 last year. All our candidates have been well-prepared,” Musanyana said. “As this is the second cohort under the new lower secondary curriculum, teachers have had enough time to master the necessary skills for effective teaching.”
The school currently enrolls 94 students across both secondary and primary levels. Inmates serve as peer instructors, and they are supported by 13 privately hired teachers who assist in lesson delivery.
Musanyana expressed optimism that this year’s results would exceed those of the previous year, as the candidates are now familiar with the new curriculum’s question formats and expectations.
Anatoli Biryomumaisho Owakubaruho, the Assistant Commissioner in charge of Formal Education at the Uganda Prisons Service, explained that the prison education program is focused on rehabilitation, transformation, and reintegration of inmates into society. “Anyone can become a prisoner, but being in prison is not the end of life unless it’s a death sentence,” Biryomumaisho said.
“We educate inmates to rehabilitate, transform, and reform them so they can reintegrate into society after their release. Our follow-up studies show that 98 percent of former inmate students remain reformed within the first three years and for the rest of their lives.”
The UCE exams began nationwide with Geography Paper One and Biology Paper One.