KAMPALA – The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has announced the 2024 Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) examination results, revealing a record-breaking number of candidates who sat for the exams. The surge in student participation, coupled with a mixed performance across subjects, has prompted discussions on educational trends and future planning.
Dan Odongo, Executive Secretary of UNEB, presented the results, emphasizing the unprecedented registration of 141,996 candidates, marking a 28.4% increase compared to the 110,566 candidates in 2023.
This substantial increase in candidature, Odongo suggested, could be partially attributed to the revised admission criteria for primary school teacher training, which has likely encouraged more students to pursue the UACE pathway. The number of examination centers also saw a corresponding rise, increasing by 7.3%.
Despite the record number of students, the results revealed a mixed performance across various subjects. While 98.8% of candidates qualified for the UACE certificate, indicating a high overall pass rate, there was a proportional drop in the number of candidates achieving the highest grades. However, the actual number of students passing at all levels increased, reflecting the sheer volume of candidates.
Key observations from the results include gender disparities, where, while fewer in number, female candidates continued to outperform their male counterparts, particularly in humanities subjects. “At all the three, all the levels as we look at the table down the past, levels of the females are higher,” Odongo noted. Subject performance varied significantly across subjects, with notable improvements in economics, literature in English, physics, and biology. Conversely, some subjects experienced a decline in pass rates. Registrations for mathematics and science subjects have steadily increased over the past five years, though the numbers remain below half of the total candidature. A total of 437 special needs candidates registered for the examination, and all 48 inmates from Uganda government upper prisons who sat for the examination qualified for the UACE certificate.
Odongo expressed concern over the low participation in the government’s universal education program at the UACE level and the low transition rate from UCE to UACE in science subjects. He also highlighted the need for increased university places to accommodate the growing number of qualified candidates.
The UNEB results have sparked discussions about the need to address gender disparities in subject performance and to encourage more students to pursue science subjects. The increased candidate numbers also underscore the growing demand for higher education in Uganda, necessitating strategic planning to ensure that all qualified students have access to tertiary education.
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