Uneb Breaks Silence after Examiners Abandoned Marking Over Low Pay

Uneb executive secretary and director Dan Odongo

Assessment body Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) says marking of all papers for the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) for both New Lower Secondary Curriculum (NLSC) and the Transitional or Old Curriculum Examinations has continued “smoothly” at all marking centers despite some examiners abandoning the exercise.

Uneb executive director and secretary Dan Odongo has confirmed that up to 159 examiners have left marking centres over “disagreement on payment.”

While Uneb had contracted 7,000 examiners to mark the UCE scripts, about 100 out of over 400 examiners of Physics walked out of the Marking Centre, while 59 quit marking Agriculture, according to Odongo.

“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,” noted Odongo.

“While some examiners objected to the adjusted rates, majority accepted and marking started effectively at all the Centres.”

The rates for marking each script had been slightly revised but two groups of Examiners for Physics and Agriculture theory papers, the Uneb executive secretary further noted, declined to start the exercise because they were not satisfied with the payment rate.

“This was despite efforts to negotiate with them, and the explanation that Management had already considered the dynamics of the new curriculum and made some adjustments in accordance with the available resources,” Odongo explained.

It should be remembered that the day for the actual marking of UCE papers was December 13. Senior Examiners had reported on November 30 for coordination with subject Officers while examiners had reported to the 14 marking centres for further coordination and preparations for effective marking on December 6.

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