The East African
Friday May 14 2021
Invigilators check students at Kibuli Secondary School in Kampala, Uganda, before their examinations on March 1, 2021. PHOTO | DAVID LUBOWA David | NMG
Summary
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Kampala.,
In a landmark judgment for the country, Uganda s Constitutional Court has ordered the government to refrain from having students sit for national exams on gazetted Muslim holidays like Idd-ul-Fitr and Idd al-Adhuha.
In a unanimous decision issued on Tuesday, five justices of the court held that government, through the Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb), has been infringing on rights of Muslim students by doing so.
“I would issue a permanent injunction to order the first respondent (Uneb) to refrain from conducting examinations on any day coinciding with any of the relevant Muslim religious holidays to which Idd-ul-Fitr and Idd al-Adhuha,” ruled Justice Elizabeth Musoke, who wrote the lead judgment.
Court bans exams on Muslim public holidays
May 12, 2021 Students sitting for national exams earlier this year
The Constitutional court has issued a permanent injunction restraining the Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) from conducting examinations on any day that coincided with any relevant Muslim religious holidays like Idd Adhua or Idd El Fitr.
According to the judgement of the five justices; Fredrick Egonda Ntende, Elizabeth Musoke, Cheborion Barishaki, Muzamiru Kibeedi and Irene Mulyagonja, if Uneb makes an examination timetable before ascertaining the exact date of any relevant Muslim religious holiday and the examination date falls on a religious holiday, that examination shall be postponed to a later date.