The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) today released the 2022 Primary Leaving Examinations results which has indicated a percentage increase in performance of the mathematics subject.
The results has revealed that 6.3% of the approximately 52,450 candidates out of the registered 832,659 from 14,691 school centres which is higher than 749,761 in 2021, have been able to score a distinction pass in mathematics compared to a 4.7 % in the previous year.
Another 52.7 % of the candidates passed at the credit level compared to the 47.2% of last year. Implying that at the quality level (distinctions and credits) the results were comparable.
English performance drastically improved with 12.2% of the candidates in distinction two compared to the 7.2% over the last two years. Cumulatively, 65.4% of the candidates at least passed in credit six compared to the 59.5% in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Social studies (SST) subject performance slightly dropped with 12.1% of candidates in distinction two compared to 14.5% in the previous two years where 73.5% candidates at least passed in credit six compared to 79.2% in the previous two years.
In the overall performance, 88.6% of the candidates only passed social studies compared to 93.1% who passed in the previous two years.
There was an improvement in science subjects though the results were not mentioned at the time of release at a function held at State Lodge Nakasero in Kampala.
In the Uganda prisons school in Luzira results indicate that out of 68 registered candidates, only 63 sat for the exams as 5 candidates were absent, 5 candidates passed in division one, 34 in division two, 9 in division three, 7 in division four and only one candidate ungraded.
The absence of five have been attributed to their possible release from the prison.
UNEB Executive Director, Daniel Odongo, said special needs candidates who don’t require any other assistance except being given more time shows that the deaf and the dyslexia had difficulties in answering questions and this is evident as they passed in division two with no one passing in division one.
Performance in terms of gender, the females have continued to perform better in English than males, according to the results, whereas the males have outperformed them in mathematics, science and social studies.
In the overall performance, 114,617 candidates totaling to 14.1% passed in division one in 2022 compared to 81,864 (11.1%) in the previous two years.
Odongo observed that 58.2% of the 714,702 candidates passed in division two in 2022 compared to 659,910 (56.7%) in 2020 and 2021. This means that more candidates have qualified to join the post primary education.
Janet Museveni, the Minister of Education and Sports and First Lady, expressed displeasure over a growing vice of some education practitioners who have continued to indulge in examination malpractice in the districts of Mukono, Gomba, Mpigi, and Masaka.
She explains that malpractices like external assistance, smuggling of examination distributors, teachers cutting envelop papers before time and many others have led to the arrest of 10 suspects already.
The First Lady said they continue to register big numbers at different levels of education, noting that they cannot thank God enough for this.
She said of the 583,768 which is 70.1% are from 11,306 centres under Universal Primary Education (UPE), 248982 (29.1%) are candidates from private schools.
“This statistics therefore indicate the rise in confidence people have put in the UPE schools,” Museveni said.
She said the government competition of the learners as a priority in schools.
The Education and Sports Minister also decried an increase in the rate of absenteeism by 0.8% totaling approximately 800 pupils, saying it had declined in the last four years.
Meanwhile, at least 97,109 candidates failed the 2022 PLE with Odongo arguing that the aforesaid who were not graded should repeat primary seven.