The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has reported an improvement in the overall performance of candidates in the 2024 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), despite a slight decrease in the number of students achieving Division One compared to the previous year.
During the official release of results at State House, Nakasero on January 23, UNEB Chairperson Prof. Celestino Obua highlighted a significant reduction in failure rates.
“While fewer candidates attained Division One, the overall failure rate has notably declined,” Prof. Obua stated.
Additionally, there was an increase in the number of candidates with special needs who sat for the exams. Prof. Obua pointed out that deaf candidates showed remarkable progress, with the proportion of ungraded students dropping from 44% in 2023 to 23% in 2024.
He acknowledged financial challenges in facilitating special examination arrangements, stating, “Providing these arrangements is costly and has been impacted by budget constraints, but we remain hopeful for better funding.”
Decline in Distinctions
UNEB Executive Director Daniel Odongo noted a reduction in distinctions across all subjects, attributing it to students struggling with questions that required advanced critical thinking.
According to the results, 84,301 candidates attained Division One in 2024, down from 86,582 in 2023. The number of candidates in other divisions included 397,589 in Division Two, 165,284 in Division Three, and 75,556 in Division Four. A total of 64,251 students were ungraded and will have to retake Primary Seven.
Despite the drop in distinctions, the general pass rate saw an improvement, with 91.8% of students passing, up from 88.0% in 2023.
Gender Performance
Boys outshone girls overall in the 2024 PLE, securing more Division One positions and recording fewer failures.
The results show that 45,203 boys passed in Division One compared to 39,098 girls. Additionally, fewer boys (28,110) were ungraded compared to girls (36,141).
However, girls performed better in Divisions Two, Three, and Four, which could be linked to their higher numbers among registered candidates. Girls excelled in English, while boys performed better in Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science, reflecting previous performance patterns.
Growth in Candidate Numbers
The number of students who took the 2024 PLE increased to 797,444 from 14,883 examination centers, up from 749,347 candidates in 2023. Among them, 524,025 (65.7%) were Universal Primary Education (UPE) beneficiaries, while 273,419 (34.3%) attended private schools.
“This represents an increase of 48,190 candidates, or 6.4% compared to last year,” Mr. Odongo noted.
The number of registered female candidates (418,750) continued to surpass male candidates (378,709), with girls constituting 52.5% of total registrations, up from 52.3% in 2023.
Lower Absenteeism Rates
The absenteeism rate among candidates hit its lowest level in five years. Out of those registered, 789,981 students sat for the exams, while 10,463 were absent, down from 12,323 in 2023.
“The absenteeism rate in 2024 has significantly reduced, reaching its lowest level in half a decade,” Odongo remarked.
