A photograph making rounds on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, alleged to show pupils of Gala Primary School in Buyende District sitting for their Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), has been confirmed to be misleading.
The widely shared image, which attracted thousands of reactions online, was falsely linked to Ugandan candidates taking the national exams. However, a fact-check by DailyExpress revealed through metadata analysis and a Google reverse image search that the photo did not originate from Uganda.
Investigators traced the picture back to 2022, when it was first uploaded on the official Facebook page of Holy Cross Comboni Primary School. Additional posts from 2022 and 2023 featured pupils in identical uniforms and a similar exam setting, confirming that the image had long existed before the current PLE period.
As a result, the viral claim that the photo showed Gala Primary School in Buyende was found to be entirely fabricated. Local officials have since verified that no school by that name exists within the district.
Buyende District ONC Coordinator, Baluye Waiswa Michael, debunked the circulating reports, describing them as deceptive. “There is no such school in Buyende. I encourage the public and the media to always cross-check information with credible sources before publishing or sharing it,” he cautioned.
Further verification with the Ministry of Education and Sports and the Buyende District Education Department confirmed the absence of any registered school under the name “Gala Primary.”
This case underscores the dangers of misinformation spreading across social platforms, where images are often taken out of context and attached to false claims.
DailyExpress’s digital investigation, supported by international open-source verification platforms, concluded that the viral image originated from Holy Cross Comboni Primary School in Yirol, South Sudan, and bears no relation to Uganda’s ongoing PLE exams.
The incident serves as an important reminder for social media users to think critically and verify facts before sharing content online—particularly when it concerns sensitive national issues like education.
