Digital Script Marking Set to Transform Uganda’s Exam System as UNEB Builds Ntinda Centre

The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) is advancing plans to replace traditional paper-based script marking with a fully digital system, a move that could eliminate the need for the approximately 15,000 teachers currently hired each year as temporary examiners. The board has also begun developing a dedicated digital centre in Ntinda, Kampala, to support online assessment and marking.

According to UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo, the shift follows the successful introduction of electronic candidate registration. Manual marking, which currently requires examiners to spend up to a month reviewing scripts at designated centres, is expected to be phased out. Under the proposed system, candidates’ scripts would be scanned and scored electronically, delivering results far more quickly while sharply reducing costs.

Odongo noted that the expense of managing examinations continues to rise as candidate numbers grow. UNEB currently engages around 15,000 markers annually, paying each an average of Shs 70,000 plus transport and daily meal allowances of Shs 33,000. Markers also receive a Shs 35,000 out-of-pocket stipend and access to basic supplies. These costs, combined with the need to hire primary and secondary teachers from the Kampala Metropolitan Area as examiners for PLE, UCE and UACE, have become increasingly difficult to sustain.

Rising Candidate Numbers Drive the Reform

Candidate registration has climbed steadily. Over the past three years, annual growth at Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) has consistently exceeded 10%. In the most recent cycle, 1,627,885 candidates registered compared with 1,416,446 the previous year — a 14.9% increase. Of these, 52% were female and 48% male. UNEB projects that if registrations remain above 200,000 annually over the next three years, total candidature across the three levels could surpass two million.

The new Ntinda digital centre is intended to support online marking and other digital innovations. Construction is expected to be completed within two years. UNEB is also studying similar systems already operating in Kenya and Zimbabwe to determine best practices, including whether scanning should occur at individual schools, regional centres or a central location in Kampala.

Mixed Stakeholder Reactions

Reactions to the proposed reforms have been mixed. Prof. Anthony Muwagga Mugagga, a lecturer in educational foundations and management at Makerere University, described both e-assessment and digital marking as sound long-term ideas but cautioned that Uganda is not yet ready. He stressed that reliable electricity and internet connectivity must first reach every village before such a system can be rolled out nationwide.

Ismail Kafeero, headteacher of Ttamu Muslim Secondary School in Mityana Municipality, warned of potential integrity risks. He pointed out that some teachers have previously attempted to assist their own students during exams and expressed concern that allowing teachers to mark scripts remotely could recreate similar problems.

Information technology specialist Silver Muhindo took a more optimistic view. He recommended that UNEB adopt both digital assessment and digital marking, arguing that the benefits extend well beyond cost savings. Digital systems can generate auto-generated questions accessible via password-protected computers, incorporate automated timers that prevent late starts or overtime, and deliver immediate scoring for certain question types. Muhindo suggested Uganda could become the first country in the region to implement a comprehensive system of this kind if universities and lower levels of education are included.

Odongo confirmed that UNEB is still in the preliminary stages of studying the available options. Once the internal review is complete, recommendations will be submitted to the board and other relevant authorities for approval.

The move towards digital script marking forms part of a broader effort by UNEB to modernise examination processes, improve efficiency and manage the steadily rising number of candidates sitting national examinations each year.