A total of 432,159 Senior Four candidates have today officially begun their Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations, marking a significant 12.1% increase from last year’s 379,748 candidates, according to the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB).
The national examinations commenced this morning with Geography, followed by Biology (Theory) in the afternoon.
Candidates from 4,308 examination centres across the country were earlier briefed on Friday, October 10, outlining regulations and expectations for the 2025 examination season.
This year’s exams are being conducted under the theme: “Embracing security and holistic assessment of learners in a dynamic environment.”
The theme reflects UNEB’s emphasis on safeguarding examination integrity while adapting to the evolving social and technological environment in which learners operate.
With the country entering a heated political season ahead of the 2026 general elections, UNEB issued a strong warning to political actors to respect school spaces during this critical period.
“We call upon political aspirants to avoid carrying out political rallies from school playgrounds so as not to destabilize candidates writing their examinations,” said UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo.
Security has also been heightened around examination centres to ensure a peaceful and conducive environment for the candidates.
The UCE examinations are a key milestone in Uganda’s education system, marking the transition from lower secondary to higher-level academic and vocational pathways.
The exams will run for the next four weeks under strict supervision from UNEB and security agencies.
