BY ROSE KASIGWA

The 2025 UACE results indicate a general improvement in performance, particularly at the principal pass level. Approximately 68.9% of candidates qualified for the UACE certificate by obtaining at least one subsidiary pass in a principal subject.

Performance trends by gender revealed that female candidates outperformed males at the principal level (grades A–E) in humanities, Mathematics, Physics, and Subsidiary ICT. However, at the highest level of achievement—the “A” grade—male candidates maintained a lead in Mathematics and Science subjects.

The 2025 UACE examinations further saw a substantial increase in the number of registered candidates compared to the previous year. A total of 166,400 candidates registered for the exams, representing a 17.2% increase from the 141,996 candidates in 2024.

The board identified persistent challenges, particularly in the sciences. They revealed many candidates struggled with practical components due to inadequate exposure to laboratory work.

In Arts subjects the primary obstacle was a failure to interpret questions correctly and a lack of analytical depth.

UNEB further reported a decrease in malpractice cases. Only 0.2% of candidates (351 individuals) from 47 examination centers were involved in irregularities. UNEB has withheld their results pending formal investigations.

The 2025 Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) results have further highlighted a historic milestone for the Uganda Prisons Service.

66 inmates out of the 68 who sat for the exams qualified for the UACE certificate, representing a 97% pass rate among the candidates who sat.

31 candidates secured three principal passes, 15 candidates obtained two principal passes and 16 candidates achieved one principal pass.

A total of 70 inmates nationwide registered and out of the number 68 sat for the examinations, with 28 candidates located at Luzira Upper Prison.

The Uganda Prisons Service has reported that while 98% of inmates initially join the school programs to alleviate the boredom of confinement, the structured environment of the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) curriculum eventually fosters a genuine commitment to personal transformation.

The spokesperson for the Uganda Prisons Service, Frank Baine, noted that this program is the most effective rehabilitation initiative in the service’s history, as it equips inmates with the “cognitive tools” to abandon their past criminal behaviors.