The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has assured the public that the marking of Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examination scripts is proceeding smoothly, despite disruptions caused by examiner protests over payment disputes.
According to UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo, the marking exercise commenced on December 13 across 14 centres, with 7,000 examiners handling scripts under both the New Lower Secondary Curriculum (NLSC) and the Transitional/Old Curriculum. However, disagreements over payment led some Physics and Agriculture examiners to abandon the marking process.
Approximately 100 of the 400 Physics examiners and 59 Agriculture examiners left their centres, citing dissatisfaction with the UGX 950 per script pay rate, which they deemed inadequate for the increased workload under the new curriculum.
Some examiners demanded at least UGX 1,500 per script, arguing that the new curriculum requires more effort than the old one.
Despite the walkouts, UNEB has reassured the public that the departures would not disrupt the marking process. “The departure of these examiners will not have a major impact on the exercise. Marking is therefore going on smoothly for all subjects and papers under the new curriculum as originally planned,” said Odongo.
The board commended the 6,800 examiners who accepted the revised pay rates and continued with the marking, acknowledging their commitment to ensuring timely results for students.
“UNEB remains committed to addressing the challenges raised while ensuring the marking process is completed successfully,” Odongo added.