The Minister for Education Janet Museveni has announced that Senior One selection exercise will take place on 12th and 13th February 2026, while the first term for the 2026 Senior One cohort will begin on Monday, 2nd March 2026.
Launching the Primary Leaving Examination results at State Houe Nakasero,Janet Kataaha Museveni,called on teachers across the country to adjust their teaching methods to align with the changing realities of Uganda’s education system, as she officially released the 2025 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) results.
She reaffirmed government’s commitment to sustaining Universal Primary Education following the renewed mandate given to the NRM government by Ugandans, stressing that primary education will remain completely free for all children.
“I take this opportunity to thank the people of Uganda for the overwhelming vote of confidence in the NRM government to guide our country on a steady path of socio-economic transformation and towards high middle-income status,” she said.
The Minister applauded the increasing number of pupils completing the primary education cycle, noting a reduction in dropout rates however, she expressed concern over the declining proportion of boys completing primary education compared to girls..
She further praised the Uganda Prisons Service for enabling inmates to sit for PLE, describing education as a powerful tool for rehabilitation and reintegration.
According to UNEB statistics, more candidates passed in Division One compared to the 2024 PLE cycle. Although the overall pass rate slightly declined proportionally, the absolute number of pupils who passed increased, reflecting higher candidature.
To support the growing number of learners transitioning from primary to secondary education, the Minister said government has continued to invest in seed secondary schools.
Since 2019, 204 out of the targeted 259 seed secondary schools have been completed and operationalised under the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers (UgIFT) programme, with 55 still under construction.
Janet Museveni welcomed UNEB’s continued emphasis on competency-based assessment, which focuses on knowledge, understanding, and application of skills to real-life community challenges. She said this approach prepares learners for the competency-based curriculum at lower secondary level and requires teachers to adjust their instructional methods accordingly.
She noted that the Ministry of Education and Sports is implementing teacher capacity-building interventions under the National Teacher Policy 2019, including targeted training for teachers in low-performing districts.
“ Plans are also underway to expand these interventions nationwide under the U-LEARN project with support from the Global Partnership for Education,”she stated.
The Minister revealed that the primary school curriculum is being reviewed to align it with the revised lower secondary curriculum and to improve assessment and monitoring of learning outcomes.