Kampala, Uganda: The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has reported improved performance in several science and key academic subjects following the release of the 2025 Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) results.
According to UNEB, notable improvements were registered in Mathematics, Chemistry, Agriculture, Geography and Economics, while Biology and Literature in English also recorded gains compared to the previous year.
The results were officially released by Education Minister, First Lady Hon Janet Kataaha Museveni on Thursday at State House, Nakasero.
UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo said the improvement reflects increased effort by schools and teachers to strengthen learning outcomes, particularly in science-based subjects.
“The performance of candidates has shown notable improvements in Mathematics, Chemistry, Agriculture, Geography and Economics. Other subjects with improvements include Biology and Literature in English,” Odongo said.
The improved performance in science subjects marks a positive shift in Uganda’s education system, where authorities have long pushed for stronger results in STEM disciplines to support national development.
Despite the gains, UNEB warned that science performance continues to face challenges due to inadequate laboratory exposure in many schools. “In the Sciences, performance continues to be affected by inadequate practical exposure,” Odongo noted.
He explained that many candidates struggled with practical examination tasks, including interpreting experimental procedures, presenting data graphically and writing correct chemical equations.
Candidates also showed difficulty applying theoretical knowledge to real-life situations. “Candidates continue to struggle with relating science concepts to real-life situations, and there is evidence that some teachers are skipping certain topics, for example, in Physical Chemistry,” Odongo said.
While performance improved in several areas, UNEB reported declines in Entrepreneurship Education, Christian Religious Education, Fine Art and Physics. According to the Board, some humanities subjects were affected by poor interpretation of questions and weak analytical skills among candidates.
“In History, candidates demonstrated inadequate analytical and evaluative skills, weak logical flow of content and insufficient use of relevant examples,” UNEB noted.
Female candidates perform strongly
UNEB Board Chairperson Celestino Obua said female candidates continued to perform strongly across several subjects. “Female candidates have continued to perform commendably better than their male counterparts, maintaining stronger performance grades in several Humanities subjects and demonstrating lower overall failure proportions,” Obua said.
However, he noted that male candidates recorded more A grades in Mathematics and science subjects, while female participation in science disciplines remains lower.
Overall, performance improved compared to last year, with 113,291 candidates (68.6%) attaining the minimum two principal passes required for university admission, up from 92,273 candidates (65.5%) in 2024.
UNEB said this increase could require an additional 21,018 university places to accommodate the higher number of qualifying candidates.
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