KAMPALA — The Executive Director of the Uganda National Examinations Board (Uganda National Examinations Board), Dan Odongo, has confirmed that cases of malpractice in the 2025 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE 2025) examinations remain low, with only 63 incidents reported nationwide.
Speaking on the release of the results, Odongo emphasised that the nature and design of the examination items under the Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) framework make malpractice difficult.
Most reported cases occurred in Mathematics and practical papers in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, where some candidates were found to have copied experimental results provided by teachers rather than conducting investigations themselves.
“Under the CBA framework, candidates are expected to design and conduct investigations using the given scenario and provided apparatus,” Odongo explained. “Where external assistance occurred, the investigation designs produced by candidates did not match the recorded results, clearly indicating malpractice.”
Candidate Feedback Shows Positive Perception
UNEB also collected feedback from a random sample of 36,546 candidates from 118 districts, with nearly half (49.7% female) participating. A short questionnaire was administered immediately after candidates exited the examination rooms over a two-week period.
Key findings from the candidate responses include: 96.3% said the examination items were within the syllabus, 74.7% found the time allocation adequate and 88.2% reported that the items were clearly presented.
On perceived difficulty, candidates rated the exams as: 4.7% easy, 66.4% fair and 28.8% difficult.
Odongo noted that these responses reflect high-quality examination design and a generally positive experience for candidates, reinforcing the effectiveness of the CBA framework in assessing skills, knowledge, and practical application.
