The Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) has given schools until October 30, 2024, to compile and submit Continuous Assessment (CA) scores of senior four candidates under the revised curriculum on their portals.
Speaking at the release of examination timetables at the Uganda Media Center, Uneb executive director, Dan Odongo, said all candidates without CA scores in any subject offered and project work shall not be graded.
"The deadline for submission of these scores was extended from September 30 to October 30, 2024. Previously, schools have been facing challenges submitting this work but Uneb has trained 15 teachers in every school on how to compute and submit the scores," Odongo said.
He said all centers must not physically deliver the coursework assessment marks, by post, or courier. The board has provided every school with a CD that has offline software that captures the candidates' CA scores and later submits them on the school portal.
According to Grace Mbabazi, the principal examination officer in charge of continuous assessment at Uneb, only 56% of the schools had submitted CA scores and project work by Monday. The 2024 Uneb examinations will be conducted under the theme: Embracing security and holistic assessment of learners in a dynamic environment.
This is also the first time Uneb will examine pioneer candidates of the revised lower secondary curriculum for the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE). The timetable for the O-level revised curriculum comprises 36 subjects compared to 46 examinable subjects in the old curriculum.
The new curriculum focuses on end-of-cycle assessment by Uneb which contributes 80% while the 20% will be CA marks conducted at the school level for every learner. Last year, the Education ministry also cleared the board to conduct the final one-off UCE transitional examination under the old curriculum aimed at allowing those who needed to repeat or missed the examination in 2023 for various reasons. Effective next year, all assessments will be conducted using the revised curriculum at O-level.
TOTAL CANDIDATURE
At least 1,320,400 candidates have registered for the four examinations this year, representing an increase of 7.8% from last year's candidature of 1,224,371. Of these, 798,763 are PLE candidates, 379,620 (UCE old and new curriculum candidates), and 142,017 are UACE candidates.
Of the entire candidature, 4,498 are candidates with Special Needs at all three levels of examination. Previously, Uneb operated one center for incarcerated persons at Luzira Upper Prison. With the addition of Mbarara's main prison, candidature stands at 108. Of the registered persons in prisons, 107 are male and one female set for PLE and UCE only.
Odongo noted that the board had recorded a significant increase in candidature at A-level this year compared to 110,579 candidates in 2023. In terms of funding, at least 698,808 (53%) of the 2024 candidature will be funded by the government under universal education programs while 621,592 (47%) are privately sponsored.
UCE revised curriculum examinations will begin on October 11 with the briefing of candidates and end on November 8, 2024. O-level candidates under the old curriculum will begin on the same date but end their exams on November 15. PLE will run from November 4 to 7 while UACE will start the following day, (November 8) and end on December 6, 2024.
CHANGES IN ASSESSMENT
Odongo said the board has, for the first time, introduced new subjects and assessment modalities. This year, Ugandan Sign Language with at least 72 pioneer candidates, eight of whom are hearing learners, and Physical Education with 15,000 candidates registered in 1,341 centers will be examined.
"In terms of assessment modalities, the board will assess learners' achievements in listening and speaking for two of the foreign languages - Latin and Arabic. Previously, these subjects were examined by only pen and paper," Odongo said.
He added that the other foreign languages will still be assessed in listening and speaking, with an emphasis on the principles of fairness and evidence-based assessment.
At least 4,490 candidates have registered for foreign languages including French (1.335 candidates), Arabic (1,993), Latin (627), German (209), and Chinese with 326 candidates.
The 11 local languages that will be assessed are; Uganda Sign Language, Luganda, Lusoga, Runyoro/Rutoro, Runyankore/Rukiga, Lumasaaba, Ateso, Lugbara Ti, Leb Lango, Leb Acoli, and Dhapadhola. Uneb has already dispatched visiting examiners to assess oral, speaking, and listening for some languages and subjects like Nutrition and Food Technology and Technology and Design (TD) until October 12, 2024.
DISPLAY CANDIDATE REGISTERS
The Uneb Act 2021 compels examination centers to display candidates' lists, 60 days before the date for the commencement of the national examinations. Uneb has urged school heads to continue displaying these lists on notice boards until October 10, 2024.
"Candidates and parents are advised to look out for correctness and order of names, date of birth, gender, and resolution of photographs as well as subjects registered for the case of UCE and UACE candidates. After confirming the registration status, candidates must sign on a parallel register to confirm the correctness of the registration data," he said.
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In case of anomalies, Odongo urged candidates to inform the school authorities promptly, who shall alert Uneb to make the necessary corrections.
"Where a learner is found not to have been registered by the school and has proof of payment of registration fees before the set deadlines, the board should also be informed immediately," he added.
Odongo also cautioned candidates against any involvement in acts of indiscipline and examination malpractice as one act in a paper shall lead to the cancellation of results of the whole examination.
With 10 days to the start of UCE examinations, Uneb also warned education officials, and area and center supervisors against assigning boda boda riders the role of distributing examination papers. This system, Odongo said, has facilitated malpractice in the past.
"The board is not against the use of motorcycles as a means of transport by officials distributing papers where it is applicable. We just don't want to see normal boda boda riders solely distributing examination papers as has been in the past in some districts," Odongo said.
