UCE 2024: Most Learners Achieve Basic to Satisfactory Levels, Struggle in Science Subjects

The 2024 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) results indicate that most learners attained basic to satisfactory levels, meaning they demonstrated only adequate to minimal competency in applying their acquired knowledge and skills to real-life situations.

According to the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), the majority of candidates in large-entry subjects scored C and D grades, while only a small number exhibited exceptional performance, earning A and B grades across various subjects.

When releasing the results, Daniel Odongo, the Executive Secretary of the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), highlighted some notable trends. Exceptional achievements were recorded in subjects such as Art and Design, History & Political Education, Agriculture, and Mathematics. 

However, the report also revealed that the highest number of candidates performed below the basic level in Physics, followed by Chemistry and English Language. Odongo pointed out that female candidates performed better in English, Christian Religious Education, and Art and Design, while males performed well in subjects like History and Political Education, Geography, Mathematics, Agriculture, Chemistry, and Biology.

The report further noted that the majority of learners struggled to demonstrate problem-solving skills in real-life scenarios across all subjects, a critical competency at the heart of the new curriculum. “The challenge that cuts across all areas is the difficulty candidates showed in linking scenarios to problem-solving in real-life situations. This competency is at the core of the curriculum and implies that teachers need to do much more to guide the learners towards this focus,” the UNEB statement read in part. 

Examiners also reported challenges in science practical assessments, where candidates were expected to use given materials to develop hypotheses, plan investigations, and draw conclusions. Many failed to connect the scenarios and materials to real-life situations or to interpret the results meaningfully. 

In languages such as English, candidates faced difficulties with vocabulary, paraphrasing, summarizing, and using relevant examples in comprehension and literature analysis. While speaking assessments were conducted in some foreign languages, candidates showed a fair understanding of the given scenarios.

Odongo attributed many of these challenges to inadequate guidance for candidates, who often relied on rote memorization to answer the scenarios. He also noted that some schools struggled to adapt to the new teaching and assessment methods until Senior Three. 

UNEB has stated that the scores provided to learners are currently generic and that the board is working towards creating individual descriptors for each subject in the future. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education acknowledged the poor performance in science subjects and vowed to take further action. Juliet Muzoora, the Commissioner for Secondary Education, emphasized that the government is committed to improving science education by providing more training and refresher courses for science teachers and headteachers.

“More refresher courses are going to be organized to ensure that science teachers and headteachers are better equipped to meet the demands of the new curriculum and improve student performance,” she said.