PLE 2023!! Here Are The Worst Performing Districts, How Girls Beat Boys

The Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) today revealed the results of the 2023 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) on Thursday, presenting data on 749,254 candidates from 15,859 schools who took part in the assessment.

This represented a decrease from the previous year, with 501,602 candidates benefiting from Universal Primary Education (UPE) and 247,652 non-UPE candidates.Gender distribution showed 52.25% of candidates were girls, exceeding boys at 47.75%, a trend consistent for seven years, indicating positive strides in girls’ completion of primary education.

The Board recorded 2,652 Special Needs (SNE) learners, marking an 8.7% increase from the prior year. Among SNE candidates, 1,261 were females and 1,391 males, with 995 needing specialized support like braille, sign language interpreters, and physical assistance.

Subject performance improved slightly in English, Integrated Science, and Mathematics over two years (2023 and 2022), while Social Studies and Religious Education (SST) remained stable.Gender-based subject performance highlighted differences, with 13% of males achieving Division, compared to 9% of females.Concerns arose with a high number of candidates in Division U (88,269 or 10.4%), especially in districts like Kibuku, Madi Okollo, Dokolo, Kween, and Namisindwa, prompting investigations into potential dropout causes.

The release of the 2023 PLE results underscores gender dynamics, advancements in Special Needs representation, and challenges such as Division U concerns.As education stakeholders analyze the results, focus turns to inclusive strategies and nationwide educational enhancements.