By A total of 56 teachers tasked with marking senior four exam papers under the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) have downed their tools in protest over what they consider meager pay.
The teachers, who were marking at Namugongo Secondary and Vocational School Centre, claimed that the new lower secondary curriculum papers require a more demanding marking method, yet UNEB pays them a paltry shs950 per script.
According to James Patrick Mbulalina and Sam Aleleu, one of the teachers revealed that they were not informed of the payment rate beforehand and were shocked to learn that they would receive only shs950 per paper.
They argued that they deserve at least shs1500 for the heavy workload involved in marking the papers under the new curriculum.
The teachers revealed that they had attempted to negotiate with UNEB, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. Frustrated, they decided to abandon their duties rather than struggle with the low pay.
This is not the first time they have worked under such conditions, and they have repeatedly asked UNEB to increase their pay to no avail.
UNEB spokesperson Jennifer Kalule confirmed that 56 teachers had indeed left the marking center, but assured the public that the remaining teachers were sufficient to complete the marking exercise.
“We are aware of 56 examiners who have left the center. We tried to negotiate with them to bear with us, but they decided to move out. However, others are still there and are continuing with the marking of the paper,” Kalule said.
The marking exercise is expected to continue uninterrupted, with UNEB relying on the remaining teachers to complete the task. The board’s governing body is expected to decide on the matter, but for now, no further action can be taken.
