The Uganda National Examinations Body (UNEB) has reiterated the call for the establishment of a special court to handle all examination malpractice cases, aiming to ensure expeditious resolution.
Professor Celestino Obua, the new Board Chairperson, acknowledged that although stringent measures and penalties have been implemented through new laws to curb examination malpractice, there are still existing gaps that require attention.
Professor Obua says when suspects are apprehended, the process of pursuing their cases involves significant expenses and suffers numerous adjournments and delays. He believes that for the anti-examination malpractice measures to have a more significant impact, creating a specialized utility court, handling all cases in one place, would ensure a faster resolution.
Over the years, UNEB has been expressing concerns about the slow court process hindering the fight against examination malpractice. For instance, in 2020, Prof. Mary Okwakol, the then UNEB chairperson, noted that their records indicated that more than 100 people had been arrested in connection to examination malpractice since 2017, but less than 30 cases had been completed.
Uganda has, over the years, established specialized courts to handle critical matters. These courts include Utilities, Standards, and Wildlife courts. Additionally, there are divisions that handle specialized matters, such as the Land Division, Commercial Court, and Anti-Corruption Court, among others.
Meanwhile, in addition to special court, Obua also emphasized that the ministry should issue regulations through a statutory instrument to support and operationalize sections of the UNEB Act. He said the board has already completed a draft under the guidance of the ministry.
Records indicate that UNEB is currently pursuing 21 court cases of malpractice in various courts across the country.
Dan Odongo, the Executive Director of UNEB, mentioned that scouts and examiners documented several suspected cases of external assistance provided to candidates by third parties inside the examination rooms. This form of malpractice was rated the highest at the primary level in 2023.
Odongo added that cases of cutting the papers and leaking them during the distribution process have significantly reduced. The board has provided guidance to district inspectors on the criteria for recruiting examination distributors and the methods to be used.
Usually, UNEB provides the number of examinations withheld, but this time the number was not disclosed. The reasoning behind this decision is that the list of districts and schools with withheld results will be released after those currently suspected of being involved in malpractice are given a fair hearing in the UNEB Examination Security Committee.
Janet Museveni, the Minister of Education and Sports, reiterated that the police and judiciary should collaborate to bring the culprits to book. She emphasized that malpractices not only impact the individual learner but are also detrimentally affect the entire education sector.
–URN–
