Kampala, Uganda: Over 432,000 Senior Four candidates across the country have today commenced their Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations despite an ongoing teachers’ strike that has sparked uncertainty over supervision and administration of the national exams.
The examinations, conducted by the Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb), mark the official start of the 2025 national examination season, with candidates sitting for Geography Paper One in the morning and Biology (Theory) in the afternoon.
Uneb Executive Director Daniel Odongo revealed that a total of 432,159 candidates are registered to sit for this year’s UCE exams compared to 379,748 last year—an increase of 12.1 percent. Of these, 52.7 percent are females, while 47.3 percent are males, a reflection of Uganda’s improving gender balance in secondary education.
The examinations are being held in 4,308 centres nationwide under the theme, “Embracing security and holistic assessment of learners in a dynamic environment.” The Board says the theme underscores integrity and fairness throughout the examination process.
Mr Odongo attributed the surge in candidature to improved enrolment in both government and private schools, boosted by the Universal Secondary Education (USE) program. Out of the total candidates, 154,637 (36%) are beneficiaries of the USE initiative, while 241,246 are privately sponsored.
The Board also registered 679 Special Needs Education (SNE) candidates who require extra support, with 190 specialized personnel deployed to assist them during the examination period.
While Uneb acknowledged the teachers’ concerns in the ongoing industrial action, ED Odongo urged them not to link the strike to the conduct of national examinations, describing teachers as “key partners in safeguarding the integrity of national assessments.”
“We ask for their indulgence to join us for a few days to help in the effective assessment of the learners they have taught over the years,” he appealed.
Uneb spokesperson Jennifer Kalule noted that despite the strike, response from teachers during preparatory briefings was “overwhelmingly positive.” Ms Kalule said while the Board had initially sought 1,500 scouts to monitor the examinations, nearly 2,000 teachers turned up for briefing sessions — an encouraging sign that many remain committed to their professional duty.
“Over the past two days, the Uneb executive director commissioned various categories of field staff, urging them to maintain vigilance and uphold the sanctity of the examinations,” she noted.
However, Unatu Secretary General Filbert Baguma insisted that the strike remains in effect until government responds to their demands, adding that the union is unaware of any teachers who have volunteered to supervise the examinations.
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