Social Studies and Religious Education (SST) has emerged as the worst-performed subject in the 2025 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), according to results released by the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB).
UNEB data shows a significant decline in SST performance across all grading categories compared to 2024. Only 3.3% of candidates attained Distinction in SST in 2025, down from 7.9% last year.
At the Credit level, performance dropped to 62.7% from 75.6% in 2024. Meanwhile, at the overall pass level (Grade 8 and above), SST recorded 86.7%, a decline from 91.9% registered in the previous year.
Comparative subject performance indicates that English recorded the highest pass rate at 91.9%, followed by Integrated Science at 90.5% and Mathematics at 88.9%. SST ranked lowest among the four subjects assessed nationally.
While English showed marked improvement in 2025, SST registered declines at distinction, credit, and pass levels, confirming its position as the weakest-performed subject in the 2025 PLE.
A total of 817,883 candidates from 15,388 examination centres registered for the 2025 PLE, an increase from 797,444 candidates in 2024.
Of the total candidature, 522,036 candidates (63.8%) from 11,525 centres were beneficiaries of Universal Primary Education (UPE), while 295,847 candidates (36.2%) from 3,863 centres were non-UPE learners.
