By Spy Uganda
Lawmakers on Parliament’s Education Committee have protested the harsh treatment of learners suspected of examination malpractice, urging authorities to hold the adults facilitating the cheating accountable instead of punishing innocent students by canceling their results.
Isaac Etuka (Upper Madi County) raised the concern during a meeting with officials from the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), who appeared before the Committee to provide an update on their readiness to conduct the 2024 national exams under the new secondary lower curriculum.
“I’m uncomfortable with the practice of canceling students’ results when we know the actual culprits. From the time UNEB transfers these papers, many people, including security personnel, are involved. Why are innocent students punished when we know who the real culprits are? Instead of canceling the students’ results, those responsible for the malpractice—from UNEB to the schools—should be held accountable,” Etuka argued.
The Uganda National Examinations Board Act of 2021 criminalizes exam malpractice and imposes penalties of up to UGX20 million or a five-year prison term, or both, for individuals who unlawfully distribute exam materials to candidates or others.
Linda Irene (Fortportal City Woman Representative) questioned the need to force students suspected of cheating to travel long distances to defend their innocence, suggesting that UNEB officials should visit the schools instead.
“Transporting students across the country to UNEB offices is costly for parents. UNEB should send officials to the schools to investigate whether the students actually cheated,” Irene said.
However, James Kubeketerya (Bunya East), the Chairperson of the Education Committee, noted that it is normal for individuals to travel when summoned, much like defendants attending court hearings. “It’s the individuals with cases to answer who must travel to present their case,” he remarked.
During the meeting, UNEB Executive Secretary Dan Nokrach Odongo briefed the committee on the Board’s preparedness to handle the new curriculum exams, despite budget cuts to the education sector. Odongo confirmed that the release of UGX10.5 billion has allowed UNEB to resume training teachers and examiners on the new curriculum.
“UNEB requested the Ministry of Finance to frontload funds from our budget so that critical activities like teacher training and retooling of examiners could continue. The Ministry of Finance has released UGX10.5 billion, enabling us to resume essential training for the new lower secondary curriculum, which had been suspended in July,” Odongo explained.
He further noted that the release of funds followed a high-level meeting on September 4, 2024, involving the Minister of Education, Janet Kataha, UNEB officials, and the Secretary to the Treasury, Ramathan Ggoobi. Following the meeting, it was agreed that the education sector’s concerns were too important to be overlooked, and resources were allocated to ensure that the 2024 exams proceed as planned.
“Training for teachers who will mark the new exams has resumed, and training for new examiners for the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) exams, initially delayed, will now take place in December 2024, before marking begins in January 2025,” Odongo added.
However, UNEB is still awaiting additional funds to cover some outstanding activities related to administering A-Level and Primary examinations. Odongo expressed confidence that the remaining resources would be provided in time.
“The Secretary to the Treasury committed to finding the necessary resources for UNEB to conduct the new and transitional examinations, as well as the significantly increased A-Level and Primary exam candidature. I’m confident these resources will be secured,” Odongo noted.
The additional funds are crucial for training teachers on the new curriculum, retooling examiners, and managing the increased exam load. Odongo also revealed that UNEB had planned to conduct parallel exams for students who wished to repeat under the old curriculum but was unable to do so due to budget constraints.
“The Board had proposed running a parallel examination for students who want to repeat under the old curriculum, but this wasn’t possible due to funding limitations,” he explained.
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