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, the board successfully administered four examinations simultaneously, including the new lower secondary curriculum, and delivered the PLE results two days ahead of schedule.
Obua attributed the success to the hard work of the executive director and his team, as well as the guidance of the board and the support of the Ministry of Education and Sports.
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. The board will review its methods for identifying special needs learners to prevent this dishonesty.
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 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.
