UNEB urges schools to submit pending continuous assessment scores ahead of exams

  What you need to know: According to UNEB, this year’s candidature stands at 1,416,307 compared to 1,319,139 last year. Of these...

 

What you need to know:

• According to UNEB, this year’s candidature stands at 1,416,307 compared to 1,319,139 last year. Of these, 817,998 are registered for PLE, 431,856 for UCE, and 166,464 for UACE.

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With barely two weeks left to the start of national examinations, the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has reminded schools to submit all continuous assessment scores for candidates set to sit for the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) exams early next month.

Speaking during the official launch of timetables for the three national examinations at the Uganda Media Centre yesterday, UNEB’s Executive Director, Mr Dan Odongo, revealed that 4 percent of examination centres had not yet submitted scores for continuous assessment.

“When we started registration this year, we had a challenge of submission of Continuous Assessment scores from schools but I’m happy to inform that all scores for term one were submitted. As I speak, 96 percent of scores for term two have been submitted, and I would like to encourage the teacher or head teacher of the 4 percent of the centers that have not submitted to please do so because our end date is September 30. We still have a few days to go, and we believe that those who have not submitted will have done that in time,” Mr Odongo said.

He noted that this marks the second time UCE will be conducted under the Competence-Based Curriculum, with the examinations scheduled to begin on October 10, starting with the briefing of UCE candidates. The briefing for Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) candidates will take place on October 31, while the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) briefing will be held on November 7.

Mr Odongo explained that under the Competence-Based Curriculum, continuous assessment contributes 20 percent of the final score, while the end-of-cycle examination accounts for 80 percent. He added that the project component is assessed independently and appears separately on the UCE certificate.

On timetables, Mr Odongo said heads of examination centres can access them through the UNEB portal, while hard copies are being distributed at UCE and PLE centres. He encouraged candidates for UCE and UACE to get personal copies, noting that examinations span several days and candidates need to track the subjects they are expected to sit.

He also issued a stern warning to some primary school heads who register able-bodied learners as special needs candidates in order to secure unfair advantages.

“The aim of these centres is to benefit from the assistance that special needs candidates are given—45 minutes extra time. This is criminal and fraudulent. Any school that will not heed this warning, our teams will eventually go around, and sanctions will be applied against such schools. This gives a very unfair advantage to otherwise normal children who are treated as if they want assistance like the disadvantaged children,” Mr Odongo said.

According to UNEB, this year’s candidature stands at 1,416,307 compared to 1,319,139 last year. Of these, 817,998 are registered for PLE, 431,856 for UCE, and 166,464 for UACE. The number of special needs learners has also risen to 4,802 this year, up from 4,587 in 2023, representing an increase of 4.5 percent. Of these, 3,619 candidates are registered for PLE, 670 for UCE, and 513 for UACE.

Mr Odongo further disclosed that UNEB has updated past papers available at sales points, which schools can purchase to help candidates practice under the Competence-Based Curriculum format.

The launch was attended by UNEB officials, including Mr James Turyatemba, Manager of Examinations Management; Ms Rose Mukasa, Principal Examinations Officer in charge of PLE; Ms Grace Mbabazi, Principal Examinations Officer in charge of Continuous Assessment; and Ms Jennifer Kalule, Principal Public Relations Officer.

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