A 17-year-old Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) candidate from Acherer Primary School in Moroto District delivered a baby boy on Monday morning while in the middle of sitting her exams, demonstrating exceptional determination to complete her education.
The candidate reportedly arrived at Acherer Health Centre II at around 6:00 a.m., choosing to wait there as she prepared to sit for her Mathematics paper, despite experiencing early labour pains.
According to medical staff, she began writing her paper at 9:00 a.m. from a room inside the facility, but by 9:35 a.m., her contractions intensified, prompting midwives to step in. She successfully delivered a healthy baby weighing 3 kilograms at around 10:00 a.m.
Susan Lowal, the midwife who attended to the young mother, confirmed that both the mother and baby are in stable condition.
She added that the candidate will remain under observation for at least 24 hours before discharge, stressing that she will continue writing the remaining examinations from the facility to ensure her well-being.
“By the time she reached full dilation at 9:35 a.m., we simply encouraged her to push, and by exactly 10:00 a.m. the baby was born,” Lowal said.
Acherer Primary School Head Teacher, Teddy Flavia Awili, expressed pride in the candidate’s resilience. She revealed that all 27 registered candidates were present for the exams, including the girl who sat through labour pains.
“She sat the paper from the health facility because of her condition, and the examinations have so far proceeded smoothly,” Awili stated.
Moroto District Education Officer, Hellen Aligoi, reported that a total of 935 pupils, including two special-needs candidates, are sitting for PLE in the district.
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