The Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) is seeking for an additional Shs10.465 Bn to conduct examinations in fulfillment of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) set up to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The request is seeking for extra Shs10.465Bn was made by Dan Odongo, Executive Secretary UNEB while appearing before Parliament’s Budget Committee to defend the supplementary budget request.
According to UNEB, there are 1,181,940 candidates registered to undertake examinations this year including; PLE-749,807, UCE-333,766 and UACE-98,367.
Odongo defended the supplementary funding arguing that before the pandemic, the Board required spacing of 1.2meters but this distance has to be adjusted to 2meters to conform with the SOPs, a development that would require more invigilators to cover the additional rooms to be used.
For Primary Leaving Examinations that will be conducted in 2 days, UNEB plans to hire additional 19,910 invigilators with each fetching Shs48,500 bringing the total to Shs1.931Bn.
In Uganda Certificate Examinations, UNEB plans to hire additional 8,703 and each would be paid Shs48,500 bringing total to Shs5.909Bnwhile UACE will need 4,747 invigilators to oversee average 10days of examinations at a cost of Shs2.302Bn.
After the examinations, UNEB has also planned to increase its work force during the marking exercise with Shs322.200Million required to procure 120 hand washing facilities at Shs36Million, 120 temperature guns at Shs60Million with each temperature gun set to cost Shs500,000.
The Executive Secretary said that the extra workforce is needed to decongest the marking centers to increase from the current 30 to 10 which would require procurement of extra materials.
However, west Budama North mp Okoth Othieno asked UNEB to explain why schools asking parents to contribute money for COVID tests and examinations yet the Board is also seeking money to facilitate pandemic examinations.
He also questioned the price of temperature guns saying ,he is not comfortable with temperature gun cost of Shs500,000 yet the average market goes for Shs200,000 while the Ministry of Education supplied temperature guns at Shs70,000.
In response, Odong distanced himself from the new charges asked by schools saying that they are not aware that schools are asking money for COVID-19 for invigilation
