EDITOR’S COMMENT

THE decision by the Uganda National Examinations Board not to invite for marking all teachers engaged in setting guiding questions and answers in newspapers was unrealistic. While the board has not officially communicated the reason for dropping the teachers, some board officials had unofficially said these teachers had exposed themselves and as such were a risk to the board’s secrets. UNEB is a public body charged with the administration of examinations and it defeats one’s understanding what secrets it should keep from the public at the time more transparency is being called for. What is the big deal about the board publishing their marking guidelines, for instance? UNEB is actually perpetuating the rural–urban divide in performance by keeping the marking guidelines a secret. This is so because only a few privileged schools whose teachers are examiners benefit. Why should UNEB get annoyed when through the newspapers, these teachers share their experiences with the rest of the country? Geraldine Bitamazire, the Minister of Education, openly came out to commend the newspapers for demystifying the examinations. UNEB should shape up.
Ends