The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has released the 2024 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) results, showing a significant increase in candidature and pass rate compared to the previous year.
According to Celestino Obua, Chairperson of UNEB, “We have achieved this through the hard work of the executive director and his very capable team at the Secretariat, the guidance of the board and above all, the unfailing support of the Ministry of Education and Sports.”
Obua noted that the board successfully administered four examinations simultaneously, including the new lower secondary curriculum, and delivered the PLE results two days ahead of schedule. “The year 2024 was indeed a unique year with many critical activities that the board needed to carry out. I am happy to report that examinations were efficiently delivered, and we achieved many positives,” he said.
The results show an increase in candidature, with more children remaining in school. The rate of absenteeism also dropped significantly. Additionally, the candidature of special needs groups increased, thanks to the joint efforts of UNEB and the Ministry of Education and Sports.
However, Obua noted that some schools have been engaging in fraudulent activities, registering children with no special educational needs. “It has come to our attention that some schools are now engaging in fraudulent activities of registering children who have no such educational needs… The board will review the methods of identifying Special Needs learners in order to close out this dishonesty,” he warned.
Despite this challenge, the results show that special needs education candidates, particularly those in the Deaf category, performed well, with a significant decrease in ungraded candidates. “The 2024 special needs education candidates have also done well, especially the category of the Deaf candidates, who had appeared most disadvantaged in the previous years,” Obua noted.
The overall pass rate increased, while failure rates decreased. However, there was a slight drop in the number of candidates obtaining Division One and distinction scores.
In a related development, the Uganda Prisons Service has established an examination center for inmates at Mbarara Main Prisons, as part of its efforts to rehabilitate offenders. UNEB will support the prison service in creating more such facilities at other prisons.
