Published on 01/02/2025
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa has rejected a request by Wakiso District Woman Representative, Ethel Naluyima, for Parliament to investigate the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) grading system.
Naluyima raised concerns over the poor performance of learners in Kampala and Wakiso in the 2024 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), arguing that the grading process appeared flawed.
However, Tayebwa dismissed the request, stating that such matters fall under the Ministry of Education and not Parliament.
“That is for the Ministry to note; it will be at their discretion. If they find any issues, as MPs have suggested, they can investigate. But I wouldn’t want Parliament to be involved in marking and grading,” Tayebwa ruled.
Naluyima had earlier expressed frustration over UNEB’s grading process, noting that this year, students from rural schools outperformed those in urban areas—a sharp contrast from previous years. She called for an inquiry into UNEB’s marking and grading models to ensure fairness and maintain public confidence in the examination process.
“Unfortunately, several stakeholders have noted lapses in UNEB’s grading process and how results were handled. This was evident in the PLE results, which affected several schools in Wakiso and Kampala. We request a thorough investigation into UNEB’s mandate, its marking model, and grading system to ensure transparency and fairness,” she said.
Naluyima’s concerns were echoed by Kalungu West MP Joseph Ssewungu, who questioned how learners in rural schools performing at the Primary Six level managed to outscore their urban counterparts who had completed Primary Seven.
“It is disturbing to see a school that has been excelling for the past 10 years suddenly ranked among the worst. Some parents transferred their children from Kampala to rural schools, where they sat PLE in Primary Six and scored First Grades, yet their classmates in Primary Seven—who had consistently scored top marks in mock and mid-term exams—ended up with lower grades,” Ssewungu said.
He further criticized UNEB for refusing requests from parents and schools to have students’ scripts retrieved and reviewed, despite their willingness to pay for the service.
However, Jonam County MP Emmanuel Ongiertho opposed the calls for a parliamentary probe, urging dissatisfied parents to follow UNEB’s complaint procedures instead of assuming that top grades should be concentrated in certain regions.
“In the results release, UNEB explained that the number of candidates scoring Aggregates 4 and 5 has decreased due to changes in the grading system. But overall performance has improved. Some regions believe it is their right to always dominate the top spots—it isn’t. If there are concerns, parents should use UNEB’s complaint mechanisms instead of making it a parliamentary issue,” Ongiertho argued.
The debate comes just days after UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo announced that 84,301 candidates (10.7% of the total) scored Division One in 2024, a slight drop from 86,582 candidates (11.7%) in 2023.
Odongo further revealed that 397,589 candidates were placed in Division Two, making up more than half of those who sat the exam. Meanwhile, 165,284 candidates scored Division Three, and 75,556 were placed in Division Four.
