UACE exams kick off with over 142,000 candidates across the country

A total 142,009 candidates have begun sitting for the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) exams, a significant 22.1% increase from the previous year, according to the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB).

UNEB spokesperson, Jennifer Kalule, announced that this final round of exams marks the last of this year’s “4Es” examination series. “The candidates began their exams this morning, with arts students sitting for History Papers 3 and 4, while science students tackled Principal Mathematics, Paper 1,” Kalule reported.

This year’s candidates represent an increase of 10,569 from last year, reflecting a strong rise in participation. The exams are being conducted across 2,634 centers nationwide. Of these candidates, 35,661 (25.1%) are government-sponsored through the Universal Post Level Education and Training (UPOLET) program, up from 24,679 in 2022, while 106,348 candidates are privately funded.

The gender breakdown shows that 61,968 candidates (43.6%) are female, and 80,041 (56.4%) are male.

UNEB has deployed 991 contracted professionals to supervise the exams, alongside 470 security personnel to ensure the integrity and smooth conduct of the examination process. This year’s UACE exams are being held under the theme: “Embracing Security and Holistic Assessment of Learners in a Dynamic Environment.”

Kalule noted that the UACE exams follow the successful completion of the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), while Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) exams for S.4 students are also nearing completion later this month. She added, “We are pleased to report that the inaugural assessment for the new lower secondary curriculum concluded successfully nationwide. By and large, the examination period has been smooth, with no major disruptions. Cases of malpractice have been minimal and are being managed in collaboration with police.”

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