Kampala. The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has warned schools against charging examination fees above the prescribed rates, saying institutions whose officials are convicted of the practice risk losing their examination centre status.
Speaking at the Uganda Media Centre on June 29 while giving an update on the registration of candidates for the 2026 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE), Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE), and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE), UNEB Executive Secretary Dan Odongo said the Board has maintained registration fees for privately sponsored candidates at Shs34,000 for PLE, Shs164,000 for UCE, and Shs186,000 for UACE.
Mr Odongo cautioned school administrators against collecting examination fees from candidates and failing to remit them to UNEB or charging fees beyond the approved rates.
“To make sure that all UNEB fees are remitted and that students are duly registered for the examinations, anyone who fails to do so commits an offence,” he said.
According to Mr Odongo, offenders are liable, upon conviction, to a fine not exceeding 2,000 currency points, equivalent to Shs40 million, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years, or both, as provided for under Section 32 of the UNEB Act.
“Such persons will also be required to refund the monies that they have collected and misappropriated,” he added.
He urged parents and members of the public who are charged fees beyond those prescribed by UNEB to report the matter to the nearest police station for investigation and prosecution.
Mr Odongo also announced the extension of the normal registration period to June 30 to accommodate newly accredited examination centres.
However, he warned that candidates registered after the deadline will attract surcharges of 100 percent for PLE and 50 percent for both UCE and UACE.
He further stressed that no candidate registration will be allowed after July 31.
“Centres should complete the registration process within the prescribed period to avoid the congestion that usually occurs towards the deadline,” he said.
In a related development, UNEB has banned the use of erasable pens during examinations, citing concerns that the pens have been used to facilitate examination malpractice.
“We have seen such cases where, with time, the writing wears off, and we found out that many students use it for malpractice where they can erase and rewrite other things,” Mr Odongo said.
The Board said the measure is intended to protect the integrity and credibility of national examinations as it continues efforts to curb malpractice across the country.
