UNEB Boss Warns Against Proposed Merger With NCDC

The Executive Director of the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), Mr Dan Odongo, has criticised possible plans to merge the assessment body with the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC), warning that the move would be a “terrible gamble” for Uganda’s education system.

Speaking during an interview at his office in Kyambogo on August 3, Mr Odongo said he was not aware of any confirmed merger plans but cautioned that combining the two statutory agencies would undermine their separate mandates.

“As far as we are concerned, nothing is cooking in the Ministry of Education because we do not see the need for that gamble to take place. It will be a terrible thing if it happens, but I am not aware that anything like that is being considered,” Mr Odongo said.

He stressed that the two institutions carry out specialised but complementary roles that require independence.

“These are two institutions that are doing very detailed work. I don’t know countries that have merged them. If you go to Kenya, you see how the two institutions have been strengthened to carry out their mandates,” Mr Odongo said.

He explained that effective education governance requires NCDC to develop the curriculum while UNEB independently assesses it and provides feedback on the quality of learning.

The proposed merger is reportedly part of reforms contained in the upcoming Curriculum, Assessment and Admissions Bill, one of the key legal frameworks expected to shape the education sector.

Defending the proposed reforms, Mr Brighton Barugahare, the Commissioner in charge of Policy Analysis and Research at the Ministry of Education and Sports, said the changes are part of wider government rationalisation efforts aimed at improving efficiency and reducing public expenditure.

However, several education experts have raised concerns about the proposal.

Prof. Anthony Mugagga Muwagga, Principal of the College of Education and External Studies at Makerere University, warned that merging the two institutions could weaken the checks and balances within Uganda’s education system.

Prof. Mugagga described NCDC and UNEB as key bodies where one provides oversight for the other. He explained that NCDC develops the curriculum from nursery to Advanced Level, while UNEB serves as an independent body responsible for assessing and validating learning standards.

“You remove the gatekeeper and then put him inside the house, what will happen?” Prof. Mugagga asked. “We have to be very thoughtful so that we don’t make the same mistakes we made when we liberalised and sold off our commercial banks and other bodies, only to regret later.”

He urged policymakers to establish a clear philosophy behind the reform instead of focusing only on reducing costs.

Prof. Mugagga suggested that government should consider cutting expenditure in other areas, including Parliament, rather than reducing funding for essential public services.

“One of our priorities should be education. We can afford to cut the budget of Members of Parliament, but you cannot afford to have a generation of tomorrow which is semi-literate, yet they have gone to school,” he said.

Despite the concerns, some stakeholders support the proposal, viewing it as a possible solution to financial challenges affecting the two agencies.

Mr Vincent Elong, National Chairperson of the Uganda Professional Science Teachers Union (UPSTU), backed the idea, saying a merged institution could combine resources and address funding gaps.

“You realise that there has been a funding gap between both agencies, especially in curriculum review and materials development like textbooks and guides for the A-Level aligned curriculum. I believe that the merger will save money, which will be used to bridge this gap,” Mr Elong said.

He, however, urged government not to rush the transition and to ensure that the proposed unified institution receives sufficient funding.

The debate over the UNEB-NCDC merger comes after recent structural changes involving vocational and health assessment bodies under the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Act of 2025.

Last year, the Uganda Allied Health Examinations Board (UAHEB) and the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Examinations Board (UNMEB) were integrated into the Uganda Health Professionals Assessment Board (UHPAB).

Similarly, in March 2025, the Uganda Business and Technical Examinations Board (UBTEB) and the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) merged to form the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board (UVTAB).

Established in 1973 under Decree No. 7, NCDC is the statutory body responsible for designing, reviewing and implementing educational curricula across pre-primary, primary, secondary and selected tertiary institutions.

UNEB, established through an Act of Parliament in 1983 after beginning operations in 1980, is the national assessment authority responsible for administering primary and secondary examinations and conducting research aimed at maintaining academic standards.