The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has released the official timetable for the 2025 national examinations, covering the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE), and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE). According to the schedule, UCE candidates will be the first to sit for their final examinations, beginning with a compulsory briefing on October 10, 2025. The written papers will start on October 13 with Geography and Biology theory papers and end on November 7, 2025. This will be the second year UNEB is assessing UCE candidates under the Competency-Based Curriculum.
PLE candidates will be briefed on October 31, 2025, before sitting for Mathematics on November 3 and English on November 4. UACE candidates will have their briefing on November 7, with examinations running until December 5, 2025.
While announcing the timetable in Kampala, UNEB Executive Director Dan N. Odongo urged candidates to prepare with confidence, saying the assessments are intended to measure learners’ achievements and guide their career paths. He, however, cautioned both candidates and schools against malpractice, including the smuggling of unauthorized materials, impersonation, collusion, and the use of mobile phones. He warned that involvement in malpractice in one paper would lead to the cancellation of results for the entire examination.
Odongo further explained that school heads can access the timetables through their portals, while hard copies will be provided alongside examination stationery. Enough copies have been printed to ensure each candidate receives one, and schools have been directed to display them on noticeboards for public access. Braille versions of the timetables have also been prepared for candidates with visual impairments under Special Needs Education.
In addition, UNEB has directed heads of centers, as well as district, city, and municipal inspectors of schools, to display the 2025 candidates’ registers between August 10 and October 10, 2025, in line with the UNEB Act, Cap 259 Section 4(2). The registers must be placed in conspicuous places at the respective schools and district headquarters for easy access by concerned parties.
Statistics from UNEB show that the number of registered candidates in 2025 has increased by 7.5 percent, rising from 1,308,998 in 2024 to 1,416,468. Of these, 818,010 candidates will sit for PLE, reflecting a 2.5 percent increase, while 432,025 will sit for UCE, representing a 12.1 percent increase. UACE has 166,433 candidates, marking a 14.7 percent rise, while 4,802 candidates with special needs (SNE) are registered, a 4.5 percent increase from last year. For the first time in many years, female candidates slightly outnumber their male counterparts, with 51.5 percent being female and 48.5 percent male, a trend Odongo said highlights Uganda’s progress in bridging gender gaps in education.
Out of the total candidature, 719,016 (51 percent) are under the Universal Education Programmes, while 697,452 (49 percent) are privately sponsored. UNEB emphasized that under the Competency-Based Curriculum, Continuous Assessment (CA) scores will contribute 20 percent to the final results, with end-of-cycle examinations accounting for the remaining 80 percent. Odongo reminded head teachers to submit all CA and project scores by September 30, 2025, warning that failure to do so may jeopardize candidates’ results.
The 2025 national examinations will run under the theme, “Embracing Security and Holistic Assessment of Learners in a Dynamic Environment.”
