Contractors hired to build schools in Mbale district have accused primary school management committees of demanding bribes before releasing funds under the school facilitation grant programme.

The West African Examinations Council says it has not recorded any case of examination leakage in five years. It also denied knowledge of the existence of "special exam centers". The centers were allegedly created by some principals and secondary school proprietors for their candidates who are compelled to pay fees higher than the official fees charged by WAEC. The money is reportedly used for lobbying officials of the council to release the examination question papers to the centers ahead of the official time of the examination.

A school administrative staff has been jailed for 8 months at Eastern Magistracy for accepting a $100,000 loan from a cleaning contractor for renewing service contracts of the school for longer terms without consent of the school. The defendant must pay $15,600 in restitution to the school.

The Education Amendment Bill proposes the creation of an information matching programme which will allow the identification of teachers who are teaching without a current practicing certificate or authorization. In addition the Bill provides greater clarity to school boards of trustees on their roles, and increases flexibility around timing of board elections, the establishment of boards and alternative board constitutions.

The education minister has said that secondary-school graduation diplomas awarded from this year on would be designed and prepared by his department and incorporate security features to make them forgery-proof. He added that the certificates would be free of charge and hence neither school heads nor school boards could receive payment for them.