Officials from Uganda National Examinations Board appeared before Parliament’s Budget Committee on Monday morning to present the institution’s budget estimates for the 2018/2019 financial year. The UNEB officials headed by the Executive Director Daniel Odongo told the Committee that they were grappling with the issue of examination malpractice. According to Odongo, the current law does not give many options for reprimanding individuals and schools found guilty of engaging in malpractices. "Honorable Chair is the law weak that it does not provide detail sanctions for the various offenses committed by the perpetrators? which offenses are not in the current Act." Said, Daniel Odongo – Executive Director, UNEB.

Other lawmakers also questioned the officials from UNEB over why there always complaints of withholding of results? “This so-called suspected schools that have cheated exams, you withhold their results and you want the students to repeat at the following year and yet the numbers are small.” Said, Patrick Isiagi – MP Kachumbala County. “The board withholds results, a hearing is conducted, and the ones that are eventually found with overwhelming evidence that there was malpractice, those results are recommended for cancellation in accordance with Section 4 subsection 3 of the current Act of UNEB.” Said, Daniel Odongo – Executive Director, UNEB.

The Parliamentary Committee was also informed that the examination invigilators were paid 16,000 per day which the officials noted was low compared to the work that they do. “And these are people whom we are not remunerating effectively, are the ones who cause us the biggest problem because they can be compromised.” Said, Daniel Odongo – Executive Director, UNEB. “Much as you suspect that your scouts may be compromised because of small pay to help cheat exams, they may also be compromised to malice some students and give wrong reports where they are very innocent.” Said, Patrick Isiagi – MP Kachumbala County.

The UNEB officials also told the committee that they have a deficit of 18.6 billion shillings that government needs to pay them. They also said one of the reasons the institution was facing financial difficulties was because the government owes them over 50 billion shillings which they wanted to pay in full. “For the last three years, we have had a fixed amount of money.” Said, Daniel Odongo – Executive Director, UNEB. The committee will now write a report, submit the decisions they come up with as they move towards the budget day. Now the UNEB officials believe that one of the ways to curb malpractice in Uganda is by increasing the remuneration of some of the UNEB officials to make sure that papers are marked and most of the students or those doing these exams are invigilated well.