By Patrick Okino
The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has released the 2025 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) results, showing a significant improvement in overall performance.
The results were officially released on Friday, 13th February 2026, by Janet Museveni, Uganda’s First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, at State House Nakasero in Kampala.
A total of 432,163 candidates from 3,975 examination centres registered for the 2025 UCE, compared to 359,417 candidates in 2024 — an increase of 72,746 candidates. Atleast 428,628candidates (99.6%) who sat qualified for the UCE certificate.
The percentage of candidates who did not qualify dropped significantly from 1.9% in 2024 to 0.31% in 2025.
UNEB Executive Secretary Dan Nokrac Odongo explained that candidates who do not fully qualify will have their status indicated on transcripts: Result 1 – Candidate qualifies for the UCE certificate, Result 2 – Candidate does not meet conditions for award (e.g., missing project score, fewer subjects sat, or missing Continuous Assessment scores and Result 3 – Candidate scored below basic level (E) in all subjects.
The results show that female candidates performed better than males in English Language, Christian Religious Education. However, in subjects such as History and Political Education, Geography, Mathematics, Agriculture, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, the proportion of females at exceptional and outstanding levels was slightly lower than that of males.
UNEB Chairperson Prof. Celestino Obua said the board has significantly improved its capacity to manage the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) compared to its inaugural year in 2024.
According to a recent UNEB study comparing the CBC with the former content-based system, learners under the new curriculum demonstrate, stronger research skills, greater ability to construct knowledge independently, increased creativity and innovation and improved communication skills
Prof. Obua described the CBC as a transformative reform aligned with Uganda’s socio-economic goals and essential for driving the country toward middle-income status.
The board emphasized that the new curriculum prioritizes critical thinking and problem-solving skills — competencies considered vital for a globally competitive workforce.
Headteachers speak out
At Mentor Secondary School in Lira City, the headteacher, Alfred Opar, said all 223 candidates who sat for the exams passed with excellent grades.
He attributed the success to strong concentration among students and teachers’ mastery of the new curriculum.
“Our teachers have mastered this new curriculum, including what it takes to produce these good results,” he said.
Opar thanked parents for their continued support and sponsorship, noting that their cooperation greatly contributed to the school’s success.
“We want to thank them for cooperating with us, and above all we want to give glory to God because without Him we could not achieve these results,” he added.
He also noted that the students have fulfilled the requirements and now qualify to receive their certificates.
Meanwhile, at Acaba Secondary School, the headteacher Siamon Okeng said all 251 candidates who sat for the exams passed.
He explained that most students attained grades A, B, C, and D, adding that the school successfully eliminated grade E this year.
Okeng said the school had not performed well the previous year, which prompted teachers and administrators to work harder and provide more academic support to learners.
At Lira Town College, the headteacher Levi Abongo has praised the school’s performance after all 388 candidates passed in Result One.
Abongo said that while the 100 percent pass rate is a major achievement, the school’s next focus is improving the quality of grades.
“We only need to work on the grades now by looking at A and B because when they are admitting Senior Five, they look at A and B,” Abongo said, adding that the school is ushering in a new era focused strictly on academic discipline.
He noted that the administration is working toward eliminating grades C and D in the near future, with the goal of having more students attain grade A.
Abongo, who was deployed to the school last year, attributed the improved performance to unity among staff, teamwork, pooling of resources, and reducing absenteeism to zero.