2024 UCE results released, inmate candidates qualify for certificates

11 February 2025, 1:53 pm

By Ronald Ssemagonja

The First Lady of the Republic of Uganda, who also serves as the Minister of Education and Sports, Hon. Janet Kataaha Museveni, thanked God during the release of the 2024 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) results for enabling the Ministry and UNEB to fulfil their responsibilities.

The Minister also appealed to learners who missed the examinations not to lose hope but to apply to other institutions where they may fit, rather than dropping out. She confirmed that the selection of Senior Five learners will take place on 20th and 21st February 2025, with the official start date set for 3rd March 2025. Similarly, the State Minister of Education and Sports for Higher Education, Hon. J.C. Muyingo, expressed gratitude to UNEB and the entire board for their excellent work in ensuring the timely release of the results.

The Chairperson of the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), Professor Celestino Obua, in his remarks, stated that 2024 was a particularly busy year for the board. “The transitional examination, based on the now-defunct UCE curriculum, did not present any unique problems, apart from time constraints. However, the competency-based curriculum has been a completely new experience, with the Board treading new ground with each step. As a result, through our interactions with teachers, learners, and some parents, we can confidently say that this is a good curriculum. The products of this curriculum are more confident, communicate better, have developed research skills, and are able to complete projects in various fields. They have also learned how to learn,” he said.

According to UNEB’s Executive Director, Dan Odongo, a total of 10,141 candidates from 1,028 centres sat for the examination, of whom 4,369 (44.1%) were male and 5,373 (52.9%) were female. 813 (8.0%) were beneficiaries of the Universal Secondary Education (USE) programme, while 8,929 (88.0%) were non-USE candidates. Of the total number registered, 9,742 (96.1%) sat for the examination (4,368 males and 5,373 females). 399 candidates did not sit the exam. There were a few cases of malpractice, particularly external assistance and impersonation, and these results will be withheld in accordance with the law until further notice. The Board registered 44 candidates with special needs (20 males and 24 females), including two blind candidates, 12 with low vision, one deaf candidate, eight dyslexic candidates, and six physically handicapped candidates. There were 15 others with disabilities who only required extra time. Only one candidate was present.

Under the competency-based assessment, candidates are no longer ranked into divisions as was done under the previous curriculum. A candidate will qualify for the UCE certificate if they obtain a competency level grade of D in at least one subject sat. The overall results show that 350,146 (98.5%) of the candidates who sat for the examination qualified for the UCE certificate, which will be indicated on the transcript and certificate.

The Executive Director further explained that the necessary assessment tools had been put in place. “The Board successfully implemented all necessary assessment tools, including an in-house software system called the Assessment Information System. We trained a total of 63,041 (43,741 male and 19,300 female) senior three and four teachers across the country. A total of 359,417 candidates were registered as the first cohort for the examination. Of these, 177,133 (49.3%) were male, while 182,284 (50.7%) were female. 136,785 (38.1%) were beneficiaries of the USE programme, and 222,632 (61.9%) were non-USE candidates. A total of 357,120 (99.4%) candidates sat for the examination, with only 2,297 (0.6%) absent. The absenteeism rate continues to drop, which is a positive sign,” he said.

“At the Uganda Government Upper Prison School, Luzira, 28 candidates were registered. Of the 28 candidates, 27 sat for the examination, and all of them qualified for the UCE certificate. At Mbarara Main Prison Inmates’ Secondary School, 11 candidates were registered, and they all sat for the examination. All of them also qualified for the UCE certificate. 703 (95.3%) USE candidates qualified for the UCE certificate, while 35 (4.7%) candidates did not qualify,” Odongo added. UNEB also conducted a survey with the first cohort of candidates to gather their perceptions of the examination papers they had just completed. A total of 50,631 candidates from all districts participated in the survey. Of these, 25,716 (50.8%) were male, and 24,915 (49.2%) were female. The candidates provided feedback on 53 examination papers,” Odongo explained.