KAWA · 23 January 2025
Introduction
The release of the 2024 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) results by the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) is far more than an annual recital of divisional tallies; it is a powerful barometer of how well public- and private-sector reforms, community attitudes, and classroom practices are converging to shape the life chances of nearly every ten- to fourteen-year-old in the country. Announced with due ceremony at State House, Nakasero—and livestreamed on multiple digital channels so that families in Gulu, Kisoro, Arua, and Busia could follow in real time—the figures reveal a landscape of headline-worthy progress: the largest cohort of candidates in history, a decisive swing in favour of girls both in registration and high-grade attainment, and a dramatic uptick in the participation of special-needs learners and even incarcerated candidates. While these numbers prompt celebration, they also invite sober reflection on where infrastructure, teacher development, and digitally driven pedagogy must accelerate to keep pace with soaring demand.
In the analysis that follows, KAWA Uganda distils the most telling statistics, unpacks the reasons behind the girls’ performance surge, highlights the inclusion gains, and offers concrete, data-anchored recommendations for headteachers, district inspectors, policymakers, and development partners who share a commitment to equitable, high-quality basic education.
1 · A Broad Snapshot of the 2024 PLE Release
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total candidates registered | 797 ,444 | 749 ,254 | +6.4 % |
| Examination centres | 14 ,883 | 14 ,014 | +6.2 % |
| Girls’ share of total candidates | 52.5 % | 51.9 % | +0.6 pp |
| Special-needs candidates | 3 ,328 | 2 ,652 | +25.5 % |
| Candidates from correctional facilities | 108 (71 Luzira, 37 Bara) | 102 | +5.9 % |
“The overall pass rate demonstrates a clearly measurable improvement over last year’s outcomes, underscoring the positive trajectory of Uganda’s basic-education reforms.”
— Dan Odongo, Executive Director, UNEB
2 · Why 2024 Is a Landmark Year for Girls
- Higher Candidature: For the first time in nearly a decade, girls constituted more than half of the entire PLE cohort, registering a historic 52.5 percent share that reflects years of enrolment drives, community sensitisation on early marriage, and targeted bursary schemes.
- Superior Pass Rates: Preliminary analysis indicates that girls not only closed but reversed the previous gender gap, posting larger proportions in Division 1 and Division 2 than boys—a shift UNEB attributes to sustained mentorship programmes, sanitary-pad initiatives, and the growing visibility of female role-models in science and leadership.
- Policy Pay-off: The trend validates the Ministry of Education and Sports’ Gender in Education Strategy, the Presidential Initiative on the Girl Child, NGO-led retention drives, and the incremental roll-out of community-based learning centres that reduce long, unsafe treks to school.
KAWA Take: The next hurdle is ensuring that this momentum carries forward into lower-secondary and STEM subject streams, where gender gaps in enrolment and achievement still persist.
3 · Inclusive Education on the Rise
- Special-Needs Candidates: A 25 percent surge—from 2 ,652 to 3 ,328 learners—signals growing parental confidence and school readiness to accommodate pupils with hearing, visual, mobility, or cognitive impairments, thanks to teacher training in Universal Design for Learning, accessible exam papers, and district-level assistive-technology grants.
- Education Behind Bars: A total of 108 inmates—71 in Luzira Maximum Prison and 37 in Bara Prison—sat PLE, underscoring the transformative role that literacy, numeracy, and structured study play in rehabilitation and reintegration.
KAWA Take: KAWA’s digital library now includes screen-reader-optimised texts, Ugandan Sign Language glossaries, and tactile graphics packs so that any school—or prison learning centre—can deliver genuinely inclusive lessons.
4 · Smooth, Secure Exam Delivery
UNEB reports that the 2024 exam cycle unfolded with minimal incidents, crediting:
- A revamped online registration portal that reduced data-entry errors by 40 percent.
- Early dispatch of materials using tamper-evident track-and-trace bags.
- Refresher courses for 45 ,000 invigilators on malpractice detection and learner-centred supervision.
KAWA Take: Because local assessments often feed directly into PLE readiness, our forthcoming “ICT for Assessment Integrity” workshops will equip headteachers and inspectors with the digital tools needed to replicate UNEB’s efficiency in midterm tests and district mocks.
5 · How to Access Results Quickly and Reliably
- SMS Route:
- Open your messaging app.
- Type
PLE <index number>with a single space (e.g.,PLE 003301/368). - Send to 6600 on MTN, Airtel, Lyca, or any Ugandan network.
- Wait for the automated reply showing individual grades and aggregate (keep at least UGX 500 airtime).
- Online Channels:
- UNEB and the Ministry of Education and Sports will livestream the official announcement on Facebook and X from 11 :00 a.m. EAT, then post downloadable PDFs of divisional statistics.
- School portals open at 1 :00 p.m., allowing headteachers to print full candidate lists.
- Hard-Copy Slips: District, City, and Municipal Inspectors of Schools will notify schools when physical result slips are ready for collection later this week.
6 · Beyond the Headlines—Action Points for Stakeholders
| Priority | Why It Matters | Immediate Step |
|---|---|---|
| Analyse gender-disaggregated data | Pinpoints sub-counties where boys now lag, enabling targeted remedial interventions. | District education officers run simple Excel pivots or use EMIS dashboards by 15 Feb 2025. |
| Expand learning spaces | Candidate volume rose 6 %; overcrowding hurts learning gains. | MoES fast-track classroom-block projects in high-growth districts like Wakiso, Mukono, and Hoima. |
| Strengthen lower-secondary STEM pathways for girls | Sustains PLE gender gains into O-Level science and ICT. | Establish girl-centred STEM clubs and scholarship schemes before Term II. |
| Scale assistive-tech procurement | Special-needs enrolment booming. | District planners allocate at least 3 % of UPE capitation grants to braille kits, hearing devices, and ramps. |
7 · KAWA’s Commitment to Transformative Learning
- Mobile-First Revision: We curate bite-sized quizzes and video explainers that load smoothly on basic smartphones, ideal for rural learners with limited data.
- ICT Club Launch Tours: This term we visit 125 schools across five regions, introducing robotics kits, Scratch coding challenges, and peer-mentorship circles that spark creativity and problem-solving from P5 onward.
- Teacher CPD: Our modular workshops help educators master Universal Design for Learning, data-driven lesson planning, and formative assessment using low-cost digital tools.
Need tailor-made support? Reach us at info@kawa.ac.ug or call +256 772580086, and our outreach team will gladly collaborate.
The 2024 PLE results provide compelling evidence that Uganda’s multi-pronged education reforms—spanning gender equity, inclusive schooling, exam security, and digital access—are beginning to bear measurable fruit. Girls have not merely matched boys but surpassed them; special-needs learners are appearing in unprecedented numbers; and a smoother, more transparent examination process underscores the power of technology and capacity-building in safeguarding academic integrity. The challenge now is to convert these celebratory statistics into long-term gains by expanding infrastructure, sustaining girl-centred and inclusive programming, and equipping every teacher with the digital and pedagogical skills required for a 21st-century classroom.
Together, let us transform today’s victories into tomorrow’s equitable and empowered learning journeys for every Ugandan child.
— Team KAWA Uganda
