KAMPALA, Uganda (Jan. 23, 2025) — The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has released the 2024 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) results, emphasizing improved performance and a reduction in absenteeism rates among candidates. The announcement was made during a ceremony held at State House Nakasero, presided over by the Minister of Education and Sports, with UNEB Executive Director Dan Nokrach Odongo presenting the findings.
Under the theme “Embracing Security and Holistic Assessment of Learners in a Dynamic Environment,” UNEB highlighted the importance of maintaining security throughout the examination process while assessing learners comprehensively across cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. The theme reflects UNEB’s commitment to adapting to rapid technological advancements and ensuring integrity in Uganda’s education system.
Increase in Candidates and Notable Gender Trends
A total of 797,444 candidates from 14,883 centers registered for the 2024 PLE, marking a 6.4% increase from 2023’s 749,347 candidates. Of these, 524,025 (65.7%) were beneficiaries of the government’s Universal Primary Education (UPE) program, while 34.3% attended private schools. Notably, more girls (418,750 or 52.5%) than boys (378,709 or 47.5%) completed the primary education cycle, continuing a trend observed in recent years.
UNEB reported a significant rise in learners with special needs, with 3,328 such candidates registered in 2024 compared to 2,652 in 2023—a 25.5% increase. This growth is attributed to increased awareness efforts by the board and the Ministry of Education. Among special needs learners, 47.9% were female. UNEB also registered 71 prison inmates for the exams, with encouraging performances reported at Luzira Upper Prison and Mbarara Main Prison.
Improved Attendance and Declining Absenteeism
UNEB recorded a decline in absenteeism rates, with 10,463 candidates (1.3%) missing the exams, compared to 12,323 (1.6%) in 2023. Executive Director Odongo attributed this improvement to targeted interventions aimed at retaining pupils in school through to the end of the primary education cycle.
2024 PLE Performance: A Closer Look
The overall pass rate rose to 91.8% in 2024, up from 88.0% in 2023. However, there was a decline in the proportion of candidates attaining Division One, reflecting challenges with questions requiring higher-order thinking skills.
Subject-Specific Trends:
- Mathematics showed improvement, with 7.4% of candidates achieving distinctions compared to 5.3% in 2023.
- English saw a decline, with only 4.9% achieving distinctions compared to 7.8% in 2023.
- Social Studies and Religious Education and Integrated Science also recorded drops in distinction rates, from 9.4% to 7.9% and from 9.3% to 6.4%, respectively.
Gender analysis revealed that girls continued to outperform boys in English, with 5.1% of females earning distinctions compared to 4.6% of males. Conversely, boys excelled in subjects like Mathematics and Science.
Key Challenges in Learner Performance
UNEB’s analysis identified persistent challenges in core learning areas. Candidates struggled with word problems in Mathematics, drawing inferences in English, applying scientific concepts to real-life scenarios, and addressing social studies topics such as climate change and income-generating activities. Odongo attributed these difficulties to teaching methods detached from real-life applications.
Achievements of Special Needs and Prison Candidates
Special needs candidates continued to perform above the national average, with the majority scoring in Division Two. The board also noted improved outcomes among prison candidates, with none ungraded at Luzira or Mbarara prisons. However, UNEB raised concerns about fraudulent practices by some schools registering normal pupils as special needs candidates to gain examination advantages.
Regional Disparities and Malpractice Concerns
UNEB’s report highlighted disparities in district performance, with some regions recording persistently high rates of ungraded candidates. For example, Bulambuli district reported 26.1% of its candidates in the ungraded category. The board called for urgent interventions to address these challenges.
Regarding malpractice, Odongo commended education officials and security agencies for ensuring the safe delivery of examination papers. However, he emphasized the need for vigilance to curb unethical practices in schools.
