Education
The teachers revealed that they attempted to negotiate with UNEB, but when their concerns were not addressed, they decided to leave instead of working under such conditions.
The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has assured the public that the marking of Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examination scripts is proceeding as planned, despite some examiners protesting over payment disputes.
In a statement, UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo confirmed that marking started on December 13 across 14 centres, involving 7,000 examiners tasked with marking scripts for both the New Lower Secondary Curriculum (NLSC) and the Transitional/Old Curriculum.
However, challenges arose when some Physics and Agriculture examiners refused to begin marking, citing dissatisfaction with their payment rates.
Despite UNEB’s efforts to resolve the issue and explain the adjustments made within its available resources, approximately 100 of the 400 Physics examiners and 59 Agriculture examiners left their respective centres.
UNEB, however, maintained that the departures would not disrupt the marking process.
“Their departure 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,” said Odongo.
The board commended the 6,800 examiners who accepted the revised rates and continued with the marking, acknowledging their patriotism in handling the first cohort of students under the NLSC.
In recent developments, 56 teachers who had been contracted to mark UCE scripts abandoned their duties, citing low pay.
The teachers argued that marking under the new lower secondary curriculum is more demanding but UNEB is only paying Shs 950 per script, which they find inadequate.
James Patrick Mbulalina and Sam Aleleu, two Agriculture examiners who spoke out, said they were not informed of the payment terms before being called to mark senior four Agriculture paper one.
They were disappointed to learn they would earn UGX 950 per script, insisting they deserved at least Shs 1,500 for the workload involved.
“Under this new curriculum, we are required to do a lot compared to the old curriculum, so we cannot have all the work done for only Shs 950,” Aleleu stated.
The teachers revealed that they attempted to negotiate with UNEB, but when their concerns were not addressed, they decided to leave instead of working under such conditions.
They further claimed this was not the first time UNEB had offered low pay and said their repeated calls for better remuneration have gone unanswered. “When it became clear our pleas would not be answered, we walked away,” they said.
Although some of their colleagues remained behind, the teachers said those who stayed were also dissatisfied but opted to continue working.
The protesting teachers were marking at Namugongo Secondary and Vocational School Centre.
UNEB spokesperson Jennifer Kalule confirmed the departure of 56 teachers, adding that the board had attempted to address their concerns.
“We are aware of 56 examiners who have left the centre. We tried to negotiate with them to bear with us, but they decided to move out. Others are still there, and they are continuing with the marking of the paper,” Kalule said.
UNEB reassured the public that the remaining examiners are sufficient to complete the marking exercise, noting that the board had initially planned for a large number of examiners to ensure continuity.
