Buikwe District—Shilo Nile Star Primary School in Njeru Municipality has come under scrutiny from fellow school proprietors and education stakeholders following allegations that it falsified Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) results released by the Ministry of Education and Sports for 2025.
The controversy emerged shortly after the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), through the Ministry of Education and Sports, released the 2025 PLE results, which included district rankings and lists of top-performing schools based on candidates who attained the best aggregates.
As is customary after the release of national examinations, several schools across the country organized thanksgiving prayers, celebrations and media engagements to publicize their performance. However, celebrations by Shilo Nile Star Primary School have drawn sharp criticism after the school reportedly presented a candidate, Muhammad Nazir, as having scored five aggregates—one of the best possible performances at PLE.
School owners in Njeru Municipality, Buikwe District, have challenged the claim, arguing that Shilo Nile Star Primary School does not appear on the official list of schools whose candidates attained five aggregates in the 2025 PLE results.
“We were shocked and annoyed when we saw media reports celebrating a five-aggregate candidate from Shilo Nile Star Primary School,” said one school owner in Njeru Municipality, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
“Since the results were released, we have thoroughly checked the official lists and rankings issued by the Ministry and UNEB. We could not find Shiro Nile Star among the schools that produced candidates with five aggregates. So when we saw the media publication, it raised serious questions,” the source added.
Another education stakeholder, also speaking on condition of anonymity, accused the school of misleading the public and called on authorities to intervene.
“It is not good to cook information. This misleads the public and undermines schools that genuinely worked hard to achieve good results,” the source said. “Parents trust these announcements, and when different figures are published from the official ones, it creates confusion and damages the integrity of education in the municipality.”
According to the stakeholders, the alleged misrepresentation does not only affect competing schools but also risks misleading parents and guardians who rely on verified examination results when choosing schools for their children.
“If parents later realise that the published results differ from the official UNEB records, it creates mistrust across the entire education system. Schools must be honest and transparent,” another school proprietor noted.
The school owners have challenged Shilo Nile Star Primary School to publicly produce official documentation from UNEB confirming that their candidate indeed attained five aggregates.
“We are not against celebrating success,” one proprietor said. “But celebrations must be based on verified facts. If Shilo Nile Star has proof from UNEB, let them produce it so the public is not misled.”
According to the official PLE performance summary for Njeru Municipality, at least 10 schools were recognised for strong performance in the 2025 examinations. These include St Abel Primary School, Rise and Shine Primary School, Greater Love Primary School, Kisa Bright Valley Primary School, Graceland Junior School, Summit Primary School, Green Valley Primary School and Canaan Christian Primary School, among others.
While Shilo Nile Star Primary School appears among the schools listed as having performed well overall, critics argue that this does not automatically qualify it as having produced a candidate with the top aggregate score claimed in media reports.
Education analysts note that misreporting of examination results has become an increasing concern, particularly during periods of heightened competition among private schools.
“Some schools exaggerate results to attract enrolment,” said an education consultant familiar with school performance audits. “That is why UNEB verification is critical. Any claim about top aggregates must be traceable to official records.”
Efforts to obtain an official response from the administration of Shilo Nile Star Primary School were unsuccessful by press time. The Ministry of Education and Sports and UNEB had not issued a statement regarding the specific allegations by the time of publication.
However, education officials have previously warned schools against publishing unverified examination results, noting that doing so can attract sanctions, including public retraction, suspension of registration, or legal action in cases of deliberate falsification.
As pressure mounts, stakeholders in Njeru Municipality are calling on district education authorities to investigate the matter and clarify the official position to restore public confidence.
“We want transparency, not witch hunts,” one school owner said. “If the results are genuine, let them be confirmed. If not, the truth must be told.”
For now, the dispute has cast a shadow over what should have been a celebratory period for schools in Buikwe District, highlighting the growing demand for accountability and accuracy in reporting national examination results.
