A total of 920,833 Primary Seven candidates across Uganda have today, Tuesday, November 3, 2026, begun their Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), with candidates sitting Mathematics in the morning and Social Studies and Religious Education in the afternoon.
The examinations are being conducted at 16,478 examination centres across the country.
According to the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), females account for 484,620 (52.7 per cent) of the candidates, while males make up 436,213 (47.3 per cent).
This year’s candidature represents a 12.5 per cent increase from the 817,885 candidates who sat the examinations in 2025.
Of the total number of candidates, 576,342 (62.5 per cent) are sponsored by the government under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme, while 344,491 (37.5 per cent) are privately sponsored.
Meanwhile, 655 candidates have Special Needs Education (SNE) requirements, comprising 352 males and 303 females.
UNEB says candidates with special needs will receive various forms of support to ensure they can comfortably sit the examinations. These include Braille question papers and answer sheets for blind candidates, large-print examination papers for learners with low vision, sign language interpreters for deaf candidates, and transcribers for learners with dyslexia and those with severe physical impairments that affect their ability to read and write.
“All SNE candidates will be allowed 45 extra minutes for each paper,” UNEB said.
The examination body has deployed 1,544 support personnel to assist candidates with special needs throughout the examination period.
Meanwhile, the field conduct of the examinations is being overseen by 162 District Monitors and 13,738 scouts. Security personnel have also been deployed across the country to safeguard the examination process, field officers and candidates.
Among those sitting this year’s examinations are 53 candidates from Uganda Government Upper Prison School in Luzira, registered under Centre Number 130377. The group comprises six females and 47 males.
UNEB has also cautioned teachers and other individuals against teaching or coaching candidates during the examination period, noting that the examinations officially commenced following the briefing of candidates on Friday, October 30.
“Therefore, there MUST be no more teaching/coaching whether within the school premises or outside the school,” UNEB warned, adding that anyone found or reported to be coaching candidates would face action in accordance with the examination rules and regulations.
The examination body has further directed candidates to report to their examination rooms by 8:30 a.m. for morning papers and 1:30 p.m. for afternoon papers to allow for identification and security checks.
Candidates who arrive late may only be admitted within the first 15 minutes after the commencement of an examination.
UNEB has also instructed candidates to inspect examination paper envelopes at the beginning of each paper to ensure they have not been opened or tampered with. Candidates are further required to carefully read and follow all instructions printed on the question papers.
The four-paper PLE will conclude tomorrow, Wednesday, November 4, with candidates sitting Integrated Science in the morning and English in the afternoon.
