UNEB assures public of smooth examination marking despite payment dispute

The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has reassured the public that marking of examination scripts is proceeding smoothly as planned, despite a section of examiners walking out following disagreements over payment rates.

In a statement shared on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, UNEB emphasized that measures have been implemented to ensure the marking process remains uninterrupted and the integrity of the examinations is upheld.

“Their departure, however, will not have a major impact on the exercise. Marking is therefore going on smoothly for all the subjects and papers under the new curriculum as originally planned,” the statement reads in part.

Dan Odongo, the UNEB Board Secretary, expressed gratitude to the over 6,800 examiners who have demonstrated patriotism and understanding in marking scripts for the first cohort of candidates under the New Lower Secondary Curriculum (NLSC).

UNEB clarified that while a small number of examiners objected to the adjusted payment rates, the majority accepted and proceeded with marking. Out of over 400 examiners for Physics, only about 100 opted to leave, while 59 quit marking Agriculture.

This year, UNEB contracted approximately 7,000 examiners to mark the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) scripts, covering both the New Curriculum and the Transitional/Old Curriculum examinations.

Senior examiners reported on November 30th for coordination with subject officers, and the rest of the examiners followed on December 6th at the 14 designated marking centres. Actual marking commenced on December 13th. However, two groups of examiners for Physics and Agriculture declined to begin the exercise due to dissatisfaction with the payment rates.

UNEB remains committed to ensuring that the marking process is completed efficiently and on schedule, assuring stakeholders that the exercise will not be disrupted.