The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has reassured the public that the marking process is proceeding smoothly across all UNEB centers despite a temporary setback involving some examiners exiting the marking center, citing poor pay.
In a press statement released yesterday, Dan N. Odongo, the Executive Director of the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), stated that 7,000 examiners had been contracted this year to mark the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) scripts, covering both the New Curriculum and the Transitional/Old Curriculum examinations.
“Senior Examiners arrived on November 30, for coordination with subject officers, while the remaining examiners reported between December 6 and December 14 at 14 marking centers to prepare for effective marking and actual marking commenced on December 13,” Odongo said.
However, Odongo noted that on that day, two groups of examiners specifically for Physics and Agriculture theory papers refused to participate, citing dissatisfaction with the payment rates.
“Despite negotiations and explanations regarding adjustments made by management, a minority of examiners chose to walk out. Approximately 100 out of over 400 physics examiners and 59 agriculture examiners left the marking centers,” Odongo added.
Despite these setbacks, UNEB has assured that the marking of all subjects and papers under the New Curriculum is proceeding smoothly with Odongo emphasizing that the departure of some examiners will not significantly affect the overall marking process.
The Board commended the more than 6,800 remaining examiners stating that they have shown patriotism and dedication to national duty and are marking the first cohort of candidates under the New Lower Secondary Curriculum (NLSC).
