Dan Nokrach Odongo
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I School heads and directors who exploit parents by charging unauthorized fees during the registration of candidates for national examinations risk paying a fine of Shs40 million, serving up to 10 years in prison, or both, the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has warned.
The warning comes as UNEB makes a final push for the registration of candidates for the 2026 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE), Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) examinations, urging schools to comply with the law and protect parents from illegal charges.
In a statement issued ahead of the close of normal registration, UNEB Executive Director Dan Nokrach Odongo cautioned school administrators against demanding payments that exceed the official examination registration fees or falsely presenting such charges as being sanctioned by the Board.
Huge penalties
“Heads of Centres are reminded that charging fees in excess of the UNEB approved fees and presenting them as UNEB registration fees is an offence under Section 33 of the UNEB Act, Cap. 259,” Odongo said. “Any person convicted of the offence is liable to a fine of Shs40 million, imprisonment for 10 years, or both.”
The Executive Director stressed that the penalties are intended to protect parents and candidates from exploitation during one of the most important stages of the academic calendar.
He further warned that the consequences extend beyond criminal prosecution.
“In addition, examination centres run by such schools are liable to de-accreditation, while registered teachers who are convicted of the offence are liable to deregistration,” Odongo said.
The warning means that schools found guilty could lose the privilege of hosting national examinations, a move that could significantly disrupt learning and damage their reputation. Teachers convicted under the law also stand to lose their professional licences, effectively ending their careers in the teaching profession.
Odongo called upon parents and guardians to remain vigilant and report schools that demand unauthorized payments under the guise of UNEB registration fees.
“Members of the public who are charged fees in excess of the approved UNEB fees are encouraged to report such cases to the nearest Police Station and lodge a complaint,” he said.
June 30 deadline
The warning comes as the Board races to complete the nationwide registration of candidates before the deadline for normal registration on June 30, 2026. Schools that fail to register candidates within the stipulated period will only be allowed to do so during the late registration window in July, when substantial surcharges will apply.
Odongo urged all heads of examination centres to use the remaining days to ensure that every eligible learner is registered.
“Heads of Centres are advised to make use of the remaining time to ensure that all the learners in the respective candidate classes are duly registered so that no learner, who is supposed to sit for this year’s examinations, is left out,” he said.
According to UNEB, the Board has already registered 1,527,867 candidates for this year’s national examinations, representing a 7.3 percent increase from the 1,416,448 candidates registered during the same period last year. The increase reflects continued growth in enrolment across the country’s primary and secondary education sectors.
Odongo also reminded schools that government-sponsored learners under the Universal Primary Education (UPE), Universal Secondary Education (USE) and Uganda Post O-Level Education and Training (UPOLET) programmes are expected to complete registration during the normal registration period and should not be subjected to late registration.
Display of candidate registers
To promote transparency and eliminate registration errors, UNEB has directed schools to display candidate registers after registration for verification by candidates, parents and guardians. The Board will also introduce an SMS verification service to enable candidates to confirm their registration status once the exercise is completed.
With only days remaining before the close of normal registration, Odongo said the Board expects all examination centres to comply fully with the law, warning that UNEB will not hesitate to invoke the tough sanctions provided under the UNEB Act against any school that exploits parents or compromises the integrity of the national examinations registration process.
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