The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has announced a notable decline in exam malpractice cases for the 2024 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) results.
This year, 984 candidates were suspected of engaging in malpractice, a substantial reduction from nearly 3,000 cases reported in 2023.
UNEB Executive Director, Dan Odongo, credited the decrease to enhanced security measures, greater awareness among students and teachers, and the design of exam questions that minimized opportunities for cheating.
However, concerns arose from the science practical exams, particularly in Physics. UNEB reported that out of the 984 suspected malpractice cases, 883 (93.1%) were in science subjects, with Physics being the most affected. Only 65 cases (6.9%) were found in other subjects.
Further investigations by UNEB revealed troubling patterns in the science exams, with many students submitting experimental results that did not align with their actual work, indicating possible external interference.
A total of 10,141 candidates from 1,028 centers registered for the exam, with 4,369 (43.1%) male students and 5,373 (52.9%) female students. Among them, 813 (8.0%) were beneficiaries of the Universal Secondary Education (USE) program, while 8,929 (88.0%) were non-USE students. Of the total registered, 9,742 (96.1%) actually sat for the exam, leaving 399 candidates absent.
