Gov't rejects UNEB plan to hike registration fees

By Innocent Anguyo

The government has rejected a plan by the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) to hike its registration fees by about 5%. UNEB wanted to use money generated from the increment to solve some of its financial woes.

In an interview, education minister, Jessica Alupo, said UNEB’s proposed increment on registration fees could not be approved because the ministry of finance said there was no additional money for government sponsored students.

Government pays UNEB registration fees for students studying under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE).

Speaking to the press during the release of last year’s Uganda Certificates of Education (UCE) examinations recently, UNEB Executive Secretary Mathew Bukenya had said the 5% increment would cover spiraling costs of conducting examinations.

Saying the UNEB registration fees were last updated in 2009, Bukenya then noted that the revision was long overdue.

According to UNEB, candidates currently pay registration fees below the unit cost of conducting examinations.

The registration fees, Alupo said will now remain as they stood last year. “To avoid any delays in registration of students, we would like UNEB to communicate to the schools that the old rates stands,” said Alupo.

UNEB registration fees currently stand at sh14, 000 for Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE); sh80, 000 for UCE and sh80, 500 for Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE).