By Nakire Caroline
The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has released the timetables for the 2026 national examinations, with provisional candidature rising to 1,627,885, a 14.9 per cent increase from 2025.
In a statement dated September 23, 2026, UNEB Executive Director Mr Dan N. Odongo said the examination period will begin with briefing of Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) candidates on Thursday, October 8, 2026.
Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) candidates will be briefed on Friday, October 30, while Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) candidates will be briefed on Friday, November 7.
UCE examinations will end on Tuesday, November 3, PLE on Wednesday, November 4, and UACE on Friday, December 5, 2026.
The 2026 candidature has increased by 211,437 from 1,416,448 registered in 2025. Females constitute 52 per cent of candidates and males 48 per cent.
A total of 52 per cent of candidates are sponsored by Government under Universal Education programmes. The Board also registered 6,090 learners with Special Needs Education.
At PLE level, candidature grew from 818,885 in 2025 to 920,796 this year, a 12.4 per cent increase. UCE rose from 432,165 to 503,214, an increase of 16.4 per cent, while UACE recorded the highest growth, from 166,400 to 203,875, representing 22.5 per cent.
Mr Odongo attributed the growth to improved completion rates, with more learners staying in school and progressing to the next level.
UNEB also reported a sharp rise in traditional science subjects at UACE. Physics candidature increased by 64.4 per cent to 35,029, Chemistry by 73.7 per cent to 64,501, and Biology by 80.3 per cent to 64,288.
Mr Odongo said the 2026 UCE candidates are the third cohort to be assessed under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). The UACE candidates were the pioneer cohort to study under the new curriculum at lower secondary and will be assessed under a curriculum aligned to CBC.
Heads of centres can access the timetables through their school portals, while hard copies have been provided with other examination stationery. Schools have been directed to issue a copy to every candidate and display the timetables prominently on notice boards.
The timetables are also available on the UNEB website and official social media platforms. Braille versions have been provided for learners with visual impairment.
The theme for the 2026 examinations is “Advancing Excellence in Assessment and Certification through Secure, Credible, Inclusive and Innovative Processes.”
UNEB has directed centres to continue displaying candidate registers until October 7, 2026. Candidates must verify their names, date of birth, gender, photographs and subjects, and sign a parallel register to confirm accuracy.
The Board said Continuous Assessment (CA) contributes 20 per cent to final achievement, while the end-of-cycle examination contributes 80 per cent.
CA submission currently stands at 82 per cent. Schools that have not submitted Term II Senior Four CA scores have until September 30, 2026, to do so, failure of which affected learners will not be graded.
UNEB cautioned head teachers against falsely reporting learners as having special needs or misrepresenting conditions such as dyslexia and low vision to obtain extra time or transcription services.
The Board warned against sale of fake examination papers and urged candidates to maintain discipline throughout the examination period.
UNEB also raised concern over schools that presented candidates in 2025 but have not registered any for 2026. A final list of such centres will be published in print and electronic media by September 30 to enable parents verify the status of their children’s schools.
The Board further reported that some government UPE schools allegedly registered private candidates as UPE candidates, collected money from parents and failed to remit the fees to UNEB.
Mr Odongo commended Chief Administrative Officers and District Inspectors of Schools, including those in Zombo District, for identifying such cases and taking action against responsible head teachers.
He urged Resident District Commissioners, Chief Administrative Officers and District Inspectors of Schools in other districts to identify similar cases and recover funds owed to Government.
UNEB called on schools to comply with Ministry of Education and Sports guidelines on teaching hours and allow candidates adequate time to rest as they prepare for the examinations.