Uganda girls outdo boys in English, CRE on UCE exams

Score gaps lit up the 2025 UCE results as girls grabbed language subjects and boys flexed in the lab-heavy papers.

Gender split in subject performance

• Uganda National Examinations Board released the 2025 UCE breakdown.
• Dan Odongo said patterns between boys and girls stayed consistent.
• Female candidates topped English Language and Christian Religious Education.
• Male students led the mathematics and core science subjects.

Science and large entry dominance

• Results placed boys ahead in the Exceptional and Outstanding bands.
• Mathematics showed a stronger male share at the top tiers.
• Physics, Chemistry, and Biology leaned toward higher male proportions.
• History and Political Education saw slightly fewer girls at peak levels.

Prison schools hit full qualification

• Uganda Government Upper Prison School in Luzira entered 40 candidates.
• Of those, 39 sat the exams, and everyone qualified.
• Mbarara Main Prison Inmates Secondary School registered 12 learners.
• All 12 candidates sat and secured the certificate.

Special needs candidates performance

• The special needs cohort recorded 695 qualifiers for UCE.
• That figure represents 98.2 percent of registered learners.
• Nine candidates did not qualify for the certificate.
• Overall numbers show steady outcomes for this group.

Examination malpractice cases

• Uganda National Examinations Board logged 63 malpractice cases.
• Mathematics and science practical papers featured most issues.
• Odongo said teachers handed out experimental results to copy.
• Investigations are active, and sanctions await confirmed offenders.