Kampala, Uganda: The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has raised an alarm over increasing cases of examination malpractice during the 2025 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE), announcing that results of affected candidates from several schools and districts have been withheld pending investigations.
While presenting the official results statement before the Minister of Education on Friday, UNEB Executive Director Dan N. Odongo said the malpractice had escalated to levels where invigilators and scouts were bribed or threatened with physical harm by some school directors and headteachers to allow teachers to directly assist candidates inside examination rooms.
“Examination malpractice has taken on a more brazen and troubling form,” Odongo said, adding that some officials within District Education Offices, who are expected to safeguard exam integrity, had regrettably become complicit in unprofessional conduct.
In line with Section 5(2)(b) of the UNEB Act, Cap. 259, Odongo said the Board has withheld results of affected candidates until investigations are concluded. Where a prima facie case is established, candidates will be accorded a fair hearing before the Board’s Tribunal, also known as the Examinations Security Committee, before final decisions are taken.
He said most of the malpractice cases flagged in 2025 originated from Kisoro, Kampala, Mukono, Namutumba, Kassanda, Buyende and Kaliro districts, among others.
However, UNEB commended Kyenjojo, Kabarole and Bundibugyo districts for registering significant improvement, noting that no malpractice cases were reported in Kyenjojo following firm administrative action taken by the Chief Administrative Officer in 2024.
According to official UNEB figures, 817,883 candidates from 15,388 examination centres registered for the 2025 PLE, compared to 797,444 candidates in 2024.
Of the total candidature, 522,036 learners (63.8 per cent) from 11,525 centres were Universal Primary Education (UPE) beneficiaries, while 295,847 candidates (36.2 per cent) from 3,863 centres were non-UPE learners.
The examination was conducted on November 3 and 4, 2025, under the theme “Embracing Security and Holistic Assessment of Learners in a Dynamic Environment,” which UNEB said remains relevant in strengthening examination credibility.
Examiners’ Observations
UNEB reported that examiners and curriculum specialists commended the overall quality of the examination papers, noting that they reflected Uganda’s shift toward competency-based learning, with greater emphasis on application of knowledge and skills.
However, the Board observed that some teachers, particularly in Social Studies and Religious Education, have not fully adjusted their teaching approaches, resulting in candidates struggling with questions requiring real-life application of knowledge at community and national levels.
Examiners also warned against misleading materials circulated by unlicensed examination bureaus shortly before the exams, saying the materials negatively affected candidate preparedness and performance.
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