The Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) is advocating for a substantial increase in its 2024/25 budget to address crucial needs, including examiner welfare and the facilitation of school takeovers by communities and NGOs.
With only Shs10.2 billion allocated in the budget, UNEB faces a significant shortfall of Shs16.7 billion, hindering its ability to provide essential services such as five daily meals, utilities, and basic health services for examiners and checkers during examination marking. Additionally, an extra Shs4.6 billion is sought to enhance marking fees for examiners, aiming to address the current inadequacy of compensation rates.
Moreover, UNEB requires Shs1.3 billion to enhance security features on result slips issued to learners, covering ICT consumables for processing and printing examinations to address escalating costs.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education is pushing for an additional Shs30.2 billion to facilitate the takeover of 100 secondary schools by communities and NGOs lacking financial resources to manage them. An additional Shs6.4 billion is earmarked to support 100 primary schools.
The Parliamentary Committee on Education has been briefed on the ministry’s initiative, which estimates the cost of acquiring each secondary school at Shs300 million and each primary school at Shs64 million, totaling Shs36.3 billion. However, these funds are currently not included in the ministry’s national budget for 2024/25.
UNEB’s budget boost proposal and the ministry’s school takeover initiative underscore the pressing need for increased funding to ensure the smooth conduct of examinations and the provision of quality education across Uganda
