THE CIRCULAR BY UNEB ON COURSEWORK ASSESSMENT SEEMS NOT TO HAVE HAD GOOD CONSULTATIONS

 DID UNEB DO NECESSARY CONSULTATIONS BEFORE COMING UP WITH A CIRCULAR ON HANDLING COURSEWORK ASSESSMENT FOR 2022 CANDIDATES?

The Circular from Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has taken many in the Education circles more so in secondary schools by surprise.

Such an innovation should have had key stakeholders participate in its evolution.

We are all aware that performance at S4 and S6 is a major basis for marketing schools. Given that fact, a number of stakeholders should have come together to identify a strategy by which the innovation would be rolled out.

We have known of Mock Examinations. Possibly, these would be an agreeable method of assessing students. But for UNEB to say that schools submit coursework results, yet when that coursework is to contribute to the final assessment of learners, I think learners will not have justice.

If coursework is to be put into consideration, UNEB would need to first ensure that all secondary schools are doing the right thing. We are aware that students who would be in S3 this year having missed time due to COVID are now in S4. We are aware that the term as by the date of this article has about 15 days to the end. Is UNEB sure that all the learners have covered same stuff in first term? If UNEB for example came up with end of 1st term exams countrywide, would the results not be shocking.

Looking at coursework in grading students would be good, but there is no common ground that is just against which this can be done. I think UNEB needs to be in touch with schools and emphasize what the candidates must have covered in first term, second term and third term given that learners have a challenge of covering work on two years in one year.

Just to cut the long story short, UNEB should suspend this circular and ensure that secondary school teachers are properly guided on what they should teach out of which finals examinations will be set by UNEB.

Secondly, most schools are bound to be tempted to give candidates higher marks because it is performance in final exams that markets these schools. There is no good guidance by which these schools can avoid the temptation of giving wrong figures more so when UNEB Officers have not seen the students’ coursework papers.

What the circular says.

The Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) has asked schools to submit to it first and second term coursework assessment marks for Senior Four and Senior Six candidates.

In a March 15 letter to all head teachers of secondary schools, the Uneb executive director, Mr Dan Odongo, said the coursework assessment marks will be submitted electronically and will be considered when grading the candidates’ final Uneb results for the 2022 academic year. 

Mr Odongo said coursework assessment is key and an ingredient of the results in the subjects for which it is a requirement.