KAMPALA, UGANDA – The Minister of Education and Sports, Hon. Janet Kataaha Museveni, has commended the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) for its proactive approach in evaluating the impact of the ongoing educational reforms.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Minister presided over the release of the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) 2025 examination results at State House, Nakasero, an event marked by high praise for UNEB and a resounding validation of the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Recalling a pivotal question she posed during the 2024 release regarding the tangible differences between the new and old curricula, the Minister commended UNEB for its proactive research.
“I commend UNEB for being proactive and carrying out preliminary research to answer the question as to whether the Competence-Based Curriculum is making a difference,” Minister Janet stated.
She expressed her gratification that UNEB interviewed teachers, headteachers, and learners from 171 schools, noting that the resulting study findings were “quite exciting.”
Prof. Celestino Obua, the UNEB Chairperson, reinforced the Minister’s sentiments, highlighting the Board’s growing confidence in managing the new assessment framework.
He noted that unlike the uncharted territory of 2024, the 2025 examination terrain was far more familiar, thanks to significantly improved institutional capacity.
He revealed that the research, conducted in response to the Minister’s query, provided a “clear and convincing answer” about the new curriculum’s merits.
“The results confirm that the CBC is a strong, transformative curriculum, well-positioned to produce the type of Ugandans needed to drive the country’s socio-economic transformation,” he said.
The 2025 examination cycle saw a significant increase in participation, with 432,163 candidates registering from 3,975 centres, marking a 20.2% rise from 359,417 in 2024.
The candidate cohort, comprising 227,871 females (52.7%) and 204,292 males (47.3%), showed high attendance at 99.5%, with absenteeism continuing its downward trend.
A key highlight of the 2025 results is the dramatic reduction in candidates not qualifying for the UCE certificate, which plummeted from 1.9% in 2024 to just 0.31% in 2025.
The UNEB Executive Director, Dan Odongo, reported that examination malpractice remains minimal with only 63 cases recorded, largely attributed to the Competency-Based Assessment’s resistance to cheating.
However, the few infractions that did occur were predominantly in Mathematics and practical science papers, where some teachers allegedly provided experimental results for candidates to copy.
The Board demonstrated its commitment to inclusivity by providing comprehensive support for 708 Special Needs Education (SNE) candidates. Provisions included Braille and enlarged print papers, sign language interpreters, support personnel, and an additional 45 minutes for all SNE candidates.
The successful release of the 2025 UCE results offers strong evidence that the shift to a competence-based curriculum is equipping learners with the skills necessary for the future.
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