The Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) has announced that a total of 1,224,371 students are registered to sit for the final examinations across three education cycles: the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE), Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE), and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE).
Mr. Dan Odongo, the Executive Director of UNEB, made this announcement during the release of the 2023 Examination Time Tables for PLE, UCE, and UACE on Wednesday. The student composition is comprised of 51 percent female candidates and 49 percent male candidates.
"We have recorded a percentage increase of 12,690 (13.5 percent) at the UACE level, which is a total of 110,579 candidates this year, as compared to 97,889 last year," Mr. Odongo informed journalists at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala.
He further added that the UCE level experienced a percentage increase of 14,988 (4.3 percent) in candidature, rising from 349,433 to 364,421 candidates this year.
However, there has been a 10 percent decline in PLE candidates, decreasing from 832,809 last year to 749,371 this year. Mr. Odongo clarified that this reduction aligns with the typical number of learners expected to take the PLE annually, with the previous years experiencing inflated numbers due to COVID-19 disruptions.
The 2023 national examinations are scheduled to commence on Friday, October 13, beginning with the briefing of UCE candidates. The examinations will run until November 17, 2023. PLE will be conducted from November 7 to 9, 2023, while UACE is scheduled to take place from November 10 to December 1, 2023.
Mr. Odongo reiterated UNEB's long-standing appeal to teachers, school heads, and parents to prepare their learners adequately to prevent cheating, which could result in the cancellation of their examination results.
In a related development, Mr. Odongo also disclosed that while the actual examinations under the New Lower Secondary School Curriculum will take place next year in 2024, preparations are already underway to assess learners under this new curriculum. A countrywide pre-test of the test items has been completed, involving 6,000 students from 220 schools. The insights collected from this pre-test, as well as feedback from teachers, will inform the final paper formats for the examinations.
The 2023 examination season holds great significance for Ugandan students, marking a critical step in their educational journeys, while also setting the stage for the transition to the New Lower Secondary School Curriculum in the coming years.
