The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) on Tuesday released the official timetables for this year’s national examinations, revealing a sharp rise in candidate numbers across all levels.
UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo announced that1,627,885 candidates have registered for the three examinations this year, up from 1,416,448 last year, a14.9% increase of 211,437 candidates.
Female candidates make 52% of the total, with males accounting for the remaining 48%. Government-sponsored learners under the Universal Primary and Secondary Education programmes make up about 52 percent of candidature. 6,090 candidates are learners with special needs.
Odongo attributed the overall growth to improving completion rates, with more learners staying in school and transitioning successfully from one level to the next.
The sharpest rise came at Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE), where candidature jumped 22.5 percent, from 166,400 in 2025 to 203,875 this year. Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE)registrations grew by 16.4 percent to 503,214, while Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) candidature rose 12.4 percent to 920,796.
Odongo also flagged an especially steep increase in registrations for the traditional science subjects at UACE, with Physics up 64.4 percent, Chemistry up 73.7 percent, and Biology up 80.3 percent.
Examination Dates
According to the released timetable, UCE candidates will begin with a briefing on Thursday, 8 October, and finish their papers on Tuesday, 3 November. PLE candidates will have their briefing on Friday, 30 October, with written papers following in early November. UACE candidates will be briefed from Friday, 7 November, with examinations running through to Friday, 5 December.
This year’s UCE candidates form the third cohort to be assessed under the Competency-Based Curriculum, while this year’s UACE candidates are the pioneers of that curriculum, having first encountered it at lower secondary level, and will now sit papers aligned to its requirements.
UNEB also sternly warned to schools still holding back Continuous Assessment (CA) scores. Under the Competency-Based Curriculum, CA contributes 20 percent of a candidate’s final mark, with the end-of-cycle examination accounting for 80%, alongside a separate standalone project score.
Submission of CA scores was a mandatory requirement at registration, yet compliance currently stands at only 82 percent. Schools that have not yet submitted Term II Senior Four scores have been given until 30 September to do so.
“The Board will not grade any learners whose final Continuous Assessment and Project scores are not submitted in time,” Odongo said. He also reminded schools that candidates’ registers must remain displayed in a conspicuous place until 7 October, as required under the UNEB Act.
Candidates and parents have been urged to carefully verify the accuracy of names, dates of birth, gender, photographs and registered subjects, and to sign a parallel register confirming these details. Any anomalies, or cases where a candidate presented for registration but has no proof of payment on record, should be reported immediately for correction.
Contingency Plans for El Niño Rains
The examinations this year coincide with forecasts of El Niño rains, raising concerns about possible disruption to exam logistics. Odongo said heavy rainfall is likely to cause flooding in low-lying districts, damage roads and bridges, and potentially disrupt both the delivery of examination materials and candidates’ ability to reach their centres.
“UNEB is working with district inspectors and local authorities to identify alternative distribution routes in advance, map potential alternative examination centres in flood-prone areas, and put contingency measures in place to ensure materials reach every centre and candidates are able to sit their papers without disruption,” he said-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
