O’Level candidates briefed ahead of UCE examinations

10 October 2025, 9:02 pm

By Ronald Ssemagonja

As Uganda prepares for the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations scheduled to begin on Monday next week, candidates across the country have today been briefed on the dos and don’ts of the national exams organised by the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB).

According to UNEB Executive Director, Dan Odongo, a total of 432,025 Senior Four candidates have been registered to sit for this year’s papers. Of these, 227,884 are female, while 204,141 are male, reflecting a 12.1% increase compared to last year’s enrollment. Odongo further noted that 718,016 candidates are sponsored by the government under the Universal Education Programme, with the remainder privately funded.

In Mbale district, Mbale Secondary School held its briefing session for over 800 candidates expected to sit for the final examinations. Generally, UNEB reports that briefing sessions across the country have gone smoothly, despite a few logistical challenges.

The board has continuously reminded heads of examination centres to display candidates’ registration details for verification. This measure aims to prevent cases where students discover too late that they were never registered, sometimes due to negligence or misappropriation of registration funds by responsible individuals.

One of the candidates, Mathew Serugo, expressed gratitude and confidence as exams draw near.
“My name is Mathew Serugo, a Senior Four candidate. I’m glad that the Lord has enabled us to reach this day. We have been told not to fear but to be confident and believe in ourselves. Our teachers have prepared us well, and these are the same kinds of exams we’ve been doing during revisions,” he said.

Another candidate, Hajara Akello, said she feels ready for the exams, crediting her teachers for their dedication and preparation. Her head teacher also expressed confidence that the students will perform well, having received thorough guidance under the new lower secondary curriculum.

Under this curriculum, UCE centres are required to submit project assessment scores to UNEB. These continuous assessments contribute 20 percent to each learner’s final grade, a key component of the new competency-based education approach.