PLE 2025: Boys Outperform Girls as Division One Passes Increase
By Patrick Okino
The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has released the 2025 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) results, showing an overall improvement in performance, with a notable increase in the number of candidates attaining Division One compared to 2024.
The results were officially released on January 30, 2026, by the Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataha Museveni, at State House Nakasero in Kampala. UNEB reported that boys performed better than girls overall, although girls continued to outperform boys in English.
According to UNEB Executive Secretary Dan Odongo, a total of 91,990 candidates passed in Division One in 2025, up from 84,301 in 2024—an increase of 7,689 candidates.
UNEB registered 817,883 candidates from 15,388 examination centres, compared to 797,444 candidates in 2024. Of these, 807,313 candidates sat the examination, while 10,570 candidates (1.3%) were absent, maintaining the same absentee rate as the previous year.
The PLE examinations were conducted on November 3 and 4, 2025, under the theme “Embracing security and holistic assessment of learners in a dynamic environment.” Despite adverse weather conditions and damaged infrastructure in some areas, UNEB said the examinations were successfully administered through coordinated efforts involving local governments, security agencies, and UNEB monitors.
Results show that Division Two accounted for the largest number of candidates at 388,293, followed by 165,226 in Division Three and 84,724 in Division Four. A total of 77,080 candidates (9.55%) were ungraded.
At Grade 8 and above, candidates performed best in English, followed by Integrated Science and Mathematics, while Social Studies and Religious Education (SST) emerged as the weakest subject overall. UNEB noted improved performance in English compared to 2024 but reported a significant decline in SST, attributing this to difficulties in applying knowledge to real-life situations and limited adaptation to competency-based teaching methods.
In terms of gender performance, boys registered a higher proportion of candidates in Division One and Division Two, while girls recorded slightly higher failure rates. However, girls performed better in English, while boys had a slight advantage in Mathematics, Integrated Science, and SST.
UNEB also registered 3,636 candidates with special needs, an increase from 3,328 in 2024, reflecting growing awareness and inclusion. Most candidates with special needs attained Division Two.
Additionally, 101 prison inmates from Luzira and Mbarara prisons sat the examinations, with several obtaining Division One and Division Two results.
The Board raised continued concerns over examination malpractice, citing cases where invigilators were bribed or threatened to allow teachers to assist candidates. As a result, UNEB said it had withheld results from affected centres pending investigations, particularly in Kisoro, Kampala, Mukono, Namutumba, Kassanda, Buyende, and Kaliro districts.
However, UNEB reported improved compliance in districts such as Kyenjojo, where no malpractice cases were recorded following stricter administrative measures taken in 2024.
Results have been uploaded on the UNEB Centre Portal, while district and city inspectors may collect hard copies from UNEB offices in Ntinda starting February 2, 2026. Candidates and parents can also access results via SMS by sending “PLE [Index Number]” to 6600 on MTN and Airtel networks.
UNEB urged schools to review result lists and submit any corrections within two weeks of the release.
Item response analysis indicated that less than 20% of candidates demonstrated high ability levels in any subject. About two-thirds were assessed at medium ability, while approximately 16% fell under the low-ability category.
Girls continued to outnumber boys in candidature, with 428,324 girls (52.4%) registered compared to 389,469 boys (47.6%).
