By KT Reporter
The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) is seeking new measures to counter cases of examination room malpractice involving teachers and invigilators.
The move follows incidents during the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), where teachers were reportedly aiding candidates inside classrooms.
Jennifer Kalule, UNEB spokesperson, said the board is reviewing its monitoring and enforcement systems to strengthen supervision and accountability in examination centers.
“The board is working on measures to counter this, as we have done on other forms. Currently, we might not disclose what we are doing, but some measures are being worked on,” said Kalule.
Kalule added that some of the measures will be rolled out, starting with the upcoming Uganda Advanced Certified Examination, to prevent anything like classroom malpractice by teachers.
UNEB has, over the years, introduced several reforms to curb examination malpractice. These include sealing internal paper leakages that were once widespread, tightening examination distribution procedures, and assigning random numbers to eliminate internal marking fraud, among others.
Despite these efforts, new forms of malpractice are emerging, including cases of teachers bribing invigilators and writing answers on classroom chalkboards. During the PLE, the board and police arrested more than 55 people, most of them accused of aiding candidates during the exams.
In Greater Masaka alone, fourteen teachers have been arrested over allegations of malpractice during the 2025 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE). Police say the suspects include six UNEB invigilators from Rakai and Kyotera districts and eight teachers from St. Kizito Butenzi Primary School in Buwunga Sub-county, Masaka District. Learners reportedly told investigators that some teachers wrote answers on the blackboard for them to copy during the exams. Similar incidents have been recorded elsewhere.
In Kaliro District, UNEB detained seven people, including the head teacher of Budini Boys Primary School, after pupils confessed to receiving assistance during the Mathematics paper. Related cases have emerged in Bundibugyo and Kampala.
Although some suspects were arrested, reports suggest that many similar cases may have gone undetected.
Kalule said the identified cases were uncovered through joint mechanisms between UNEB and security agencies, adding that these systems may need to be expanded and strengthened.
But, educationists say the incident reveals how deep the problem runs. What was once more common in rural areas is now surfacing in urban schools. Education advocate Gonzaga Kaswarra says the profession’s moral standards have sharply declined.
“In the old days, a teacher would never even look at an exam paper before the time, let alone assist learners. Today, teachers have become the biggest threat to the integrity of national examinations,” Kaswarra said.
Meanwhile, Mwamula, a teacher and Secretary General of the Private Teachers’ Union, argues that the persistence of examination malpractice in Uganda is fueled by schools using results as a marketing tool. He contends that strict enforcement of the UNEB Act, or any similar legislation, will not solve the problem on its own.
Mwamula added that the real issue lies in the national examination and assessment system, which currently determines the success of students, schools, and teachers. This creates intense pressure on all parties to secure top grades, often at any cost.
“If the assessment regime is not overhauled, this will never stop. Teachers are already compromised by the system and the demands it places on them,” he said.
Mwamula further called for a review of the entire examination and assessment framework to address the root causes of malpractice rather than relying solely on punitive measures.
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