Uneb, govt explain decline in PLE candidates

 The Executive Director of the Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb), Mr Dan Odongo, has attributed the decline in the number of candidates, who sat for Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) last year, to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.  

Mr Odongo said in 2022, there was a surge in candidature because of the hold-up that was triggered by Covid-19 induced lockdowns between 2020 and 2021.

“Many of the pupils, who had been expected to repeat Primary Six, were registered for the examination, leading to an increase of 82, 892 (11.1 percent) candidates over that of 2020,” Mr Odongo said, adding, “That hold-up was no longer evident in 2023, leading to the drop in the numbers to the level expected.”

Statistics
According to Uneb, a total of 749,254 candidates from 15,859 centres (schools) registered for PLE in 2023 compared to 832,654 in 2022. Of these, 501,602 (66.9 percent) from 11,365 centres were Universal Primary Education (UPE) beneficiaries, and 247,652 (33.1 percent) of the candidates were non-UPE.
 
Education minister Janet Museveni confirmed a decline in the number of learners who registered for PLE 2023 while officiating at the release on 2023 PLE results held at Nakasero Statehouse on Thursday.
 
“The decrease was anticipated as the impact of Covid-19 on the education system starts to wane and so is the distortion in enrolment in the Pre-Primary Seven classes, especially P6,” the minister said.

She highlighted that the primary initiative in the Covid-19 recovery process was the execution of an abridged curriculum, guaranteeing that students cover topics they had missed out during school closures. 
 
Mr Odongo said despite the Covid-19 restrictions, Uneb registered improved PLE  performance in 2020.

He revealed that of the 734,788 candidates, who sat for examinations, 659,910,   81,864 got first grade, 334,711 passed in second, 146,142 in third, 97,193 in fourth while 74, 875 failed.