By Daily MirrorUG Reporter
The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has released the official timetables for the 2026 national examinations, with 1,627,885 candidates registered, representing a 14.9 per cent increase from last year’s 1.42 million candidates.
The timetable release covers the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE), Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE). UNEB says this year’s examinations will be conducted under the theme: “Advancing Excellence in Assessment and Certification through Secure, Credible, Inclusive and Innovative Processes.”
The examination season will officially begin with UCE candidate briefing on October 8, 2026, followed by PLE briefing on October 30. UACE briefing will begin on November 7, with the UACE examination series ending on December 5.
Candidate numbers rise across all levels
PLE candidates have increased to 920,796, up from 818,885 in 2025, while UCE candidature has risen to 503,214 from 432,165.
UACE recorded the highest percentage increase, rising from 166,400 candidates in 2025 to 203,875 this year, representing a 22.5 per cent increase.
Females constitute 52 per cent of the total candidature, while males account for 48 per cent. UNEB also registered 6,090 Special Needs Education learners.
Science registration jumps
UNEB has also reported a sharp increase in registration for science subjects at UACE.
Biology candidates increased by 80.3 per cent, from 35,660 to 64,288, while Chemistry registration rose by 73.7 per cent to 64,501. Physics candidates increased by 64.4 per cent to 35,029.
UNEB issues warnings
The examination body has warned schools that the deadline for submitting Senior Four Term II Continuous Assessment scores is September 30, 2026 according to the head Dr Dan odong.
UNEB says Continuous Assessment contributes 20 per cent towards a learner’s overall achievement under the Competency-Based Curriculum and warned that learners whose required CA and Project scores are not submitted on time will not be graded.
Parents, teachers and candidates have also been warned against scammers selling fake examination papers as the examination period approaches.
UNEB further raised concerns over schools allegedly registering private PLE candidates as UPE candidates after collecting money from parents without remitting the funds to the Board. The Board described the practice as corruption and warned that those responsible would face action.
With more than 1.6 million learners preparing for the national examinations, UNEB says schools must now focus on accurate registration, timely submission of assessment scores and maintaining secure and credible examination processes.
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