Some lawmakers on Parliament’s Education Committee have protested the ill treatment of learners suspected of examination malpractice, with calls to have the adults that aid examination malpractice, instead of punishing the innocent learners through the cancellation of their results.
The concern was raised by Isaac Etuka (Upper Madi County), during a meeting held with officials from Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB), that had appeared before the Committee to provide a status update on readiness to examine students in 2024, in the new secondary lower curriculum.
Etuka said, “I have been very uncomfortable with the cancellation of results when we know the culprits because by the time UNEB transfers these papers from their offices, to the schools, there are a number of people involved including security. Why do we still cancel results of the innocent students when we know the culprits? Instead of cancelling the results of the innocent pupils, the culprits involved in this from UNEB up to where this malpractice is done, should in fact be held liable.”
Linda Irene (Fortportal City Woman Rep.) also wondered why the students suspected of cheating examinations are forced to travel long distances across the country to plead their case, instead of having UNEB officials go to these suspected schools.
“On the issue of having schools transport these pupils to UNEB all from these districts which is very costly to the parents. There is no need of making these schools and parents to transport these pupils to come to UNEB, UNEB can send officials to these schools and see whether the students copied or they didn’t,” she said.
However, James Kubeketerya (Bunya East), who aslo doubles as Chairperson Education Committee said that usually, it is individuals with cases to answer that travel to plead their case noting,”You should know that it is people who are summoned who go to court, the Court doesn’t go to them.”
During the meeting Dan Odongo, Executive Secretary of UNEB provided an update on the Board’s preparedness to examine learners on the new lower secondary school curriculum, informing MPs that although Government had imposed an omnibus budget cut on the education sector, which threatened UNEB’s capability to examine the 2024 national examinations, some success has been registered following the release of over Shs10.5Bn that is being used to train teachers, markers of the new curriculum.
He said, “UNEB was asked to write to the Ministry of Finance to ask for frontloading of money which is in its budget so that the activities that had been suspended from July 2024, for example; training of teachers, retooling of examiners to be able to mark the new examinations could be able to take place. The Board did that, and Shs10.5Bn has been frontloaded and availed to the Board. And because of this, the essential training on the new lower secondary curriculum that had been suspended in July has resumed.”
Odongo told the Committee that the release of the funds followed a meeting held on 4th September 2024, with the Ministry of Education, Janet Kataha, alongside other officials from UNEB, Ministry of Education as well as the Secretary to Treasury, Ramathan Ggoobi and following the release of the funds, some of the activities that had been postponed have resumed.
“After that meeting, it was agreed the Secretary to Treasury made a commitment that the issues that UNEB had raised were too important to be ignored and that resources would be found to ensure that the programs that the Board had put in place to administer the 2024 examinations succeed.The teachers who were supposed to mark the examinations have been retooled and also, training of new examiners for the Uganda Advance Certificate Examinations that couldn’t take place in August, has been rescheduled for December 2024 before the marking of that examination in January 2025,” explained Odongo.
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