KAMPALA, UGANDA – The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) reported a slight increase in candidates for the 2025 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), with 817,883 pupils registered, up by 20,439 from the 2024 figure of 797,444.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!This was confirmed by the Executive Director of UNEB, Dan Odongo, while presenting the PLE results to the Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataha Museveni, at State House, Nakasero.
According to Odongo, the 2025 P7 candidates wrote their papers from 15,388 examination centres nationwide, with overall performance indicating that male candidates outperformed female candidates, recording a higher pass rate in the top divisions and a lower overall failure rate.
The 2025 PLE results show male candidates outperforming females, with 12.54% achieving Division 1 compared to 10.35% of females.
Furthermore, 60.69% of males secured top Division 1 and 2 passes, versus 58.04% of females.Conversely, the failure rate, which includes Division 4 and Ungraded candidates, was lower for males at 18.76%, while females recorded a higher rate of 21.20%.
In the 2025 Primary Leaving Examinations, a total of 101 candidates were registered across two prison schools; 58 successfully sat from Luzira Upper Prison and 39 from Mbarara, with 4 registered candidates absent.
Mbarara Main Prison Inmates Primary School recorded a higher proportion of top-performing candidates, with 7 out of 39 (approximately 18%) achieving Division 1, compared to 4 out of 58 (approximately 7%) at Luzira Upper Prison School.
Dan Odongo further confirmed the withholding of results from a number of schools in the districts of Kisoro, Kampala, Mukono, Namutumba, Kassanda, Buyende, and Kaliro, following reported cases of examination malpractice.
He commended the leadership in Kyenjojo, Kabarole, and Bundibugyo for visible progress, pointing out that Kyenjojo’s strict 2024 measures resulted in no exam malpractice being reported from the district this year.
In her remarks, the Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni, announced that the Senior One selection exercise is scheduled for February 12th and 13th, 2026, with the first term for the new cohort officially starting on Monday, March 2nd, 2026.
She added that the government’s recent investments in establishing seed secondary schools have, since 2019, significantly expanded capacity to absorb more learners transitioning from primary to O-Level education.
According to Prof. Celestino Obua, UNEB Chairperson, there has been a rise in candidature alongside steady absenteeism.
He also celebrated improved Grade One pass rates and overall qualifications, noting that all 730,000 successful learners are expected to secure placement in post-primary institutions.
Prof. Obua added that performance at the Grade One level has improved, with more candidates qualifying for the next education cycle than in 2024, and that all passed learners are expected to secure secondary or vocational placement.
This year marks the second consecutive year in which the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has conducted a detailed item analysis to align assessments with the Competency-Based Curriculum.
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