The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has officially released the 2024 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) results, showing notable progress in several areas, particularly among Special Needs Education (SNE) candidates.
Remarkable Progress for Special Needs Candidates
According to UNEB Chairperson Prof. Celestino Obua, this year’s results highlight significant improvement for deaf candidates, a group that had previously faced considerable challenges. In 2023, 44% of deaf candidates were ungraded. However, in 2024, the ungraded proportion dropped to 23%, marking a substantial achievement in addressing inclusivity and accessibility in education for disadvantaged learners.
Rise in Candidate Numbers
UNEB Executive Director Mr. Dan Odongo announced that 797,444 candidates from 14,883 centers (schools) registered for the PLE in 2024, compared to 749,347 in 2023. Of these, 65.7% (524,025) were Universal Primary Education (UPE) beneficiaries, while 34.3% (273,419) were enrolled in non-UPE schools. This increase underscores growing access to primary education nationwide.
Girls Outperform Boys in Enrollment
An analysis by gender revealed that more girls (418,750) registered for the exams than boys (378,709), representing 52.5% of total candidates. This trend, noted in recent years, demonstrates continued efforts to ensure gender equity in education access.
Subject Performance: Mixed Results
The performance of candidates across the four key subjects—English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies—showed improvements at credit and pass levels. However, distinction scores declined in all subjects, highlighting challenges with questions requiring advanced problem-solving and application skills.
Social Studies (SST): Candidates performed best in this subject, with 75.6% achieving at least a credit and 91.9% passing overall.
Science: 73.8% of candidates achieved at least a credit, with 93.4% passing.
Mathematics: Showed improvement, with 62.7% earning credits and 89.4% passing overall.
English: Performance slightly dropped compared to 2023, with 58.0% earning credits and 88.3% passing.
Prison Inmates Shine in PLE
In a remarkable feat, 71 candidates registered at Luzira Upper Prison, with 59 sitting for the exams. Four inmates scored Division 1, while 36 achieved Division 2. Similarly, 37 candidates from Mbarara Main Prison sat for PLE, recording 4 in Division 1 and 20 in Division 2. These results reflect the growing emphasis on educational rehabilitation for inmates.
Gender-Based Performance Trends
Despite more girls sitting for PLE, male candidates proportionally outperformed their female counterparts in Division 1 and recorded lower failure rates. However, the higher number of female candidates meant that more girls passed overall.
Division 1: 12.09% of males compared to 9.46% of females.
Ungraded Candidates: 7.52% of males compared to 8.75% of females.
Concerns Over Special Needs Abuse
UNEB flagged cases of some schools registering able-bodied candidates as SNE learners to gain unfair advantages, such as extended examination time. This unethical practice has been attributed to categorizing pupils with manageable conditions like asthma and sickle cell anemia under the “Others” category. UNEB has committed to tackling this malpractice to maintain the integrity of the exams.
How To Check PLE Results 2024
Schools can access results through the UNEB portal, while individuals can check results via SMS by typing PLE Index Number and sending it to 6600. The SMS service costs UGX 500 per query.
This year’s PLE results demonstrate UNEB’s ongoing efforts to improve educational outcomes, inclusivity, and equity. With a higher percentage of candidates passing and significant progress among SNE learners, the 2024 PLE is a testament to Uganda’s commitment to enhancing education for all. However, UNEB has also identified areas requiring improvement, such as distinction-level performance and ethical examination practices, ensuring that the board’s mission for fairness and quality education continues.
Leave a Reply