After a period of eager anticipation, schools are finally preparing to submit students’ classroom-based assessments to the Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB).
Confirming this progress, UNEB’s Executive Secretary, Dan Odongo, acknowledged the previous delay, which was attributed to the need for capacity building and the establishment of improved infrastructure for the revised lower secondary curriculum.
Click here to join our WhatsApp group and receive daily news
Odongo stated that while a few details are being finalized, the Board is now ready to start receiving student scores in approximately two weeks.
In contrast to the previous curriculum, which relied solely on final examinations, the updated lower secondary curriculum incorporates classroom-based assessments throughout the four-year cycle leading up to Senior Four.
These continuous assessments, also known as classroom-based assessments, will contribute 20 percent towards the final national examinations.
Under the new curriculum, each subject includes a component of such assessment, and students will not receive grades from UNEB at the end of the cycle without it.
Although the intention was to start submitting these school-based scores from Senior One, it was delayed due to the curriculum’s launch in 2020 without fully established mechanisms.
During the interview, Odongo clarified that UNEB will not rely on third-party data from the Ministry of Education, contrary to initial expectations.
Despite the Ministry introducing the Education Management Information System (EMIS) for learner registration following the reopening of schools after the COVID-19 closure, UNEB will issue its own unique learner identification numbers instead of using EMIS.
Odongo further explained that the new learner identification numbers (LIN) will replace the previous index numbers.
Once allocated a LIN in Senior One, learners will use that number throughout their academic journey.
CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK
Earlier this year, concerns were raised by educationists regarding data collection fragmentation among different government agencies, with a lack of willingness to share data across platforms.
This was exemplified by UNEB and the Ministry issuing separate learner identification numbers, resulting in learners possessing two distinct identification numbers.
To address this complexity, proposals have emerged suggesting the incorporation of National Identification Numbers (NIN) as the unique identifiers for learners, encompassing UNEB and the Ministry.
Also Read: LIRA: Mother buries new born baby hours after birth, arrested
