The Uganda Certificate of Education (UNEB) examination results for 2023 have been released, indicating an improved performance compared to 2022.
According to the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), of the 364,469 candidates that sat the UCE exams in 2023 from 3,808 examination centres, 329,939 (95.9%) passed, and qualify to go to the next level of education.
“Performance in the 2023 examination is significantly better than that of 2022. The failure rate has also dropped by 0.5 percent. This means that 329,939 (95.9%) of the learners who presented themselves for the 2023 examination can progress to the post-UCE level,” UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo said.
He added: “There is a significant improvement in English Language, Religious Education, Mathematics and Biology. Noticeable drops were recorded History, Agriculture and Physics. Performance in the other subjects have remained comparable.”
In English language, Odongo said, 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 the candidate.
Female candidates performed better than males in English Language. In the other subjects, however, males performed better, with the differences being very significant in History, Geography, Sciences and Commerce.
In Chemistry, however, the male candidates show better performance in the higher grades but, overall, a slightly higher percentage of females obtained at least a Pass.
“This trend in the disparity in the performance of male and female candidates has been observed over the years,” Odongo said.
However, performance in the sciences continues to be a cause for concern, with less than 20 per cent of the candidates obtaining Credit pass levels in Physics and Chemistry, and 40 per cent or more unable to pass.
“It is worth noting, however, the upturn in performance in Biology, which has been recording a steady decline,” Odongo said.
“Examiners have attributed the low achievement levels in science subjects to several factors, main among which are inadequate teaching, manifesting in the inability of the learners to master the basic scientific concepts; lack of practical teaching, manifesting in the 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 exacerbate the problem,” he said.
Most of the examination malpractice cases were reported the practical papers.
Candidature increased by 15,008 (4.3%) from 349,459, in 2022 to 364,469 in 2023. The candidates sat from 3,808 examination centres. Of these candidates, 118,633 (32.5%) were USE beneficiaries. The number of male candidates registered was 180,471 (49.5%) and that of females was 183,998 (50.5%).
UNEB chairperson Professor Celestino Obua revealed that this is the last examination administered under the old curriculum.
From 2024 October/November examination, the UCE will be administered in accordance with the New Lower Secondary Curriculum.
“In the past, candidates who would not have made it in an examination such as this one would repeat the examination in the following examination season. This will not be possible this time; as the examination format and other conditions will be drastically different,” Professor Obua said.
“The Board has completed work on the sample papers for the examination under the new curriculum, and arrangements are being made to upload the papers on the school portals. Hard copies will also be availed to all examination centres,” he added.
In her remarks, Education Minister, also First Lady Janet Museveni welcomed the reduction in the rate of absenteeism.
“As a Ministry and all secondary schools at large, we celebrate the reduction of absenteeism but we must take keen interest in what is causing this five-year-long reduction in absenteeism so that we forever lock it out,” she said.
“Our society can only be holistically healthy when all boys and girls join the education system and complete the respective levels. We do not want always to have a disadvantage of one gender against the other,” she added.