The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has released the 2023 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) results with 64,782 (17.9%) students passing in Division 1. This marks an increase from the 2023 where only 46,667 (13.5%) candidates .
In 2023, 85,566 in Division Two, 83,545 in Division Three and 112,923 in Division Four. Another 14,879 candidates scored in the Division 9 and therefore failed the examination.
“The failure rate has also dropped by 0.5 per cent,” Mr Odongo said while releasing the results at State Lodge Nakasero, Kampala .
There was a decrease in the number of candidates failing the examination, with 329,939 learners, constituting 95.9% of those who sat for the exams, eligible to progress to the Post-UCE level.
In 2023, a total of 364,469 candidates registered for the UCE examination, with 49.5% being male and 50.5% female but 361,695 (279,032 males and 182,63 females) sat for the examination.
there was significant improvement in English Language, Religious Education, Mathematics and Biology.
However, noticeable drops were recorded in History, Agriculture and Physics.
“Performance in the other subjects has remained comparable. In the English language, the presentation of crammed passages from texts in response to the question on original composition writing has greatly reduced, which may explain the significant improvement in candidate performance,” Mr Odongo said.
Examiners have attributed the low achievement levels in science subjects to inadequate teaching, manifesting in the inability of learners to master the basic scientific concepts; lack of practical teaching, manifesting in learners’ inability to manipulate science apparatus and carry out the procedures prescribed in the examination papers and interpret any readings or observations that could have been made.
“There are schools that have been reported to have no science teachers, which exacerbated the problem. Most of the examination malpractice cases at this level are in the practical papers,” Mr Odongo added.
