The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has asked Parliament for more funding to increase payments to examiners and invigilators, saying the current rates are too low.
Speaking before the Parliament’s Education and Sports Committee, UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo said examiners are underpaid despite the heavy workload involved in marking national examinations.
He revealed that examiners marking the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) are currently paid Shs720 per script, while those marking the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) receive Shs1,260 and Shs1,488 respectively.
UNEB is proposing an increase to Shs1,000 per PLE script, which would still leave a funding gap of Shs244 per script.
For UCE, Odongo said examiners are demanding Shs2,000 per script, but UNEB considers Shs1,500 a more realistic figure. At the current rate of Shs1,260, this would create a shortfall that requires additional funding.
He added that UACE examiners, who are paid Shs1,488 per script, should ideally earn about Shs2,000, leaving a funding gap of Shs512.
UNEB also raised concerns about payments to invigilators. Chief invigilators currently receive Shs45,000 for the entire examination period, with other invigilators earning slightly less. Odongo said a more reasonable allowance would be Shs60,000 to cover transport and meals while on duty, creating a shortfall of Shs15,000 per person.
He noted that although UNEB understands the country’s limited budget, the current payments are too small to attract and retain qualified examiners and invigilators.
