The Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB), a corporate body mandated to conduct and manage examinations in Uganda for the end of the educational cycle at primary and secondary school levels, has cautioned school administrators against charging fees not prescribed by UNEB.
“According to the UNEB Act 2021, Section 33, it’s an offence to charge fees not prescribed by UNEB and refer to such fees as UNEB fees. Heads of UNEB centers, school directors, and head teachers are therefore cautioned against calling any other administrative costs UNEB fees,” UNEB tweeted.
According to UNEB, such an offence attracts a penalty of forty million shillings, a term of imprisonment not exceeding ten years, or both.
UNEB also revealed that the person convicted shall pay back the amount that is prescribed by UNEB to the concerned students or even their sponsors.
“The board may also withdraw the examination center of the school. Where the person convicted is a registered teacher, the person shall be disciplined under the relevant laws regulating the teaching profession,” UNEB tweeted.
The board also urged the general public to seek legal justice if they were victims of these unlawful acts.
“Aggrieved parents or members of the public charged exorbitant fees alleged to be UNEB registration fees should file complaints to the nearby police stations,” UNEB said.
This has come at a time when the registration process for the 2023 examinations for all levels, such as the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE), and the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE), is underway.
According to UNEB, the registration process is set to start from 1ST to 31st May 2023. Candidates who may miss registering during the set period will, according to UNEB, be subject to a surcharge.
The surcharge for late registration from June 1st–30th will be 100 percent for PLE and 50 percent for both UCE and UACE candidates.
The board revealed that the last phase of late registration will run from July 1st to July 31st, attracting a surcharge of 100 percent at all levels, and that after July 31st, there will be no opportunity to register for the 2023 examinations.
Mr. Nangosya Mike Masikye, the director of examinations, revealed on Thursday 20th April 2023, at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala that the government will pay the registration fees for all the candidates sponsored under any three universal education programs, such as Universal Primary Education (UPE), Universal Secondary Education (USE), and Universal Post-O-Level Education and Training Program (UPOLET).
