UVTAB UNVEILS TOUGH PENALTIES FOR ASSESSMENT MALPRACTICE AS NEW TVET GUIDELINES TAKE EFFECT

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Beyond integrity guidelines, the rules mandate that institutions strictly adhere to submission deadlines for coursework and results, while implementing validated Special Needs Education (SNE) inclusion guidelines to accommodate candidates with disabilities.

The Uganda Vocational and Technical Education Assessment Board (UVTAB) has gazetted new assessment rules and penalties targeting technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, candidates, and supervisors, with full implementation set to commence shortly.

The TVET Assessment Rules, 2026, which stem from the TVET Act 2025, aim to govern the preparation, conduct, and supervision of competence-based assessments across the country.

Speaking to journalists during a stakeholders’ feedback workshop at the board’s offices in Kampala on October 6, the Executive Secretary of UVTAB, Mr. Onesmus Oyesigye, explained that the rules are designed to curb widespread malpractice and protect the integrity of vocational qualifications.

“The TVET Act 2025 talks about assessment malpractice and penalties. As a result, UVTAB developed rules for running assessments and these have been gazetted by the Attorney General, and we are ready to start operationalizing them,” Mr. Oyesigye said.
Under the new regulatory framework, candidate offences—such as using mobile phones, accessing unauthorized materials, cheating, or assisting others to cheat—will attract disciplinary action, including the immediate cancellation of results and suspension.

Strict punitive measures have also been set for grave offences. Impersonation now carries a fine of up to Shs 40 million or imprisonment for up to five years. Altering marks, scripts, candidate information, or assessment records attracts a fine of up to Shs 100 million and up to five years in prison. Furthermore, leaking assessment materials carries a fine of up to Shs 100 million or a prison term of up to 10 years, while deliberate destruction of assessment materials attracts up to Shs 20 million in fines and five years in jail.

The regulations further extend severe sanctions to supervisors and assessment centres. Supervisors who leak assessment papers, facilitate cheating, alter marks, misplace materials, or fail to report malpractice face criminal prosecution and disciplinary action.
Assessment centres are barred from registering ineligible candidates, manipulating results, or operating without official UVTAB accreditation. Illegal self-assessment by unaccredited institutions is strictly prohibited, and centres are restricted to offering courses approved by the TVET Council.

Additionally, charging fees above approved rates or misappropriating candidate fees carries a fine of up to Shs 100 million and up to 10 years imprisonment, alongside mandatory refunds to affected students. Causing disruptions or possessing offensive material at assessment centres attracts a fine of up to Shs 40 million or five years in jail.
Mr. Oyesigye emphasized that safeguarding assessment integrity at every stage is essential for public trust.

“As UVTAB, we aim at protecting the integrity of every process. The value of a qualification depends on confidence in how it was earned. Assessment integrity must therefore be protected at every stage of our processes, from registration and assessment preparation to conduct, marking, moderation, results processing, and certification,” he noted.
He added that maintaining standard practices requires secure handling of assessment materials and results, impartial decision-making, and accountability from all stakeholders, noting that the board remains ready to address operational gaps promptly.

Beyond integrity guidelines, the rules mandate that institutions strictly adhere to submission deadlines for coursework and results, while implementing validated Special Needs Education (SNE) inclusion guidelines to accommodate candidates with disabilities.
Institutional leaders have welcomed the stringent rules, citing the urgent need to preserve quality standards in TVET education.
Ms. Janet Anying, the Academic Registrar of Three Sisters School of Beauty in Lira City, backed the board’s decision, stating that the stiff penalties are necessary to tackle chronic cheating and ensure graduates possess real skills.

“The seemingly hefty fine for examination malpractice is a two-way thing. I think the reason they have put the fine that high is because of the rampant examination malpractice. The people concerned are trying to get ways of dealing away with it. To me, I think it is a good thing. Cheating is very rampant. A lot of people just want to go through the system without putting in the effort and without coming out skilled, yet TVET is skills-based learning,” Ms. Anying said.
Similarly, Ms. Rosemary Namuddu, Principal of Rozalina Hair Clinic in Kampala, expressed support for the guidelines, arguing that clients deserve services worth their money and urging institutions to desist from malpractice to avoid producing half-baked graduates.

In line with aligning training to market demand, Ms. Jalia Nasaza, the Deputy Executive Secretary for UVTAB in charge of curriculum development, revealed that the board has developed 17 technology programmes, submitted 12 programmes under Business Education and Training, and one programme under Home Science and Training.
“We developed them basing on the needs of the world of work and they must also implement them in consideration of where the students are going,” Ms. Nasaza said.

Assoc. Prof. Dorothy Okello, the Chairperson of UVTAB, noted that the board has actively invested in learning and benchmarking with global institutions and agencies to adopt best practices in TVET curriculum development and assessment.

Written by newsroom-radiopacis