UNEB Warns Schools Against Coaching PLE Candidates, Issues New Instructions as 920,833 Pupils Prepare for Examinations

By Ben Musanje

The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has warned schools and teachers against continuing to coach Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) candidates following the conclusion of candidate briefings, cautioning that anyone found violating examination regulations will face disciplinary action.

UNEB Principal Public Relations Officer Jennifer Kalule-Musamba issued the warning on Monday, November 2, 2026, during a joint security press briefing at Police Headquarters in Naguru, Kampala, as the country entered the fourth week of the 2026 national examinations.

Kalule-Musamba said the Board had received information from whistleblowers indicating that some examination centres were contemplating conducting additional coaching sessions for candidates despite the official briefing having been completed on Friday, October 30.

“The PLE is already under way, following the briefing of candidates on Friday, October 30; therefore, there MUST be no more teaching/coaching, whether within the school premises or outside the school,” she warned.

She cautioned that schools and individuals found engaging candidates in further teaching or coaching would be dealt with in accordance with the rules and regulations governing the conduct of national examinations.

“Just know, you are being watched,” she added.

920,833 candidates registered for PLE

Kalule-Musamba revealed that a total of 920,833 candidates have registered for this year’s PLE from 16,478 examination centres across the country, representing a 12.5 per cent increase from the 817,885 candidates registered in 2025.

Of the registered candidates, 484,620, representing 52.7 per cent, are female, while 436,213, accounting for 47.3 per cent, are male.

She said 576,342 candidates, representing 62.5 per cent, are sponsored under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme, while 344,491 candidates, or 37.5 per cent, are privately sponsored.

The examination will also include 53 candidates from Uganda Government Upper Prison School in Luzira, comprising six females and 47 males.

11 pupils rescued from registration omission

In a development that could have denied 11 pupils an opportunity to sit their examinations, UNEB revealed that candidates from Skyland Primary School in Wakiso District had initially been left unregistered.

According to Kalule-Musamba, the school had no examination centre number, while its management had mistakenly believed the pupils had been registered under another school in Mukono District.

The school contacted UNEB over the weekend, prompting the Board to intervene and arrange for the candidates to sit their examinations at another centre in Wakiso.

She said the 11 pupils were subsequently registered at Kyebando UMEA Primary School on Sunday evening, November 1, clearing the way for them to participate in the national examinations.

Kalule-Musamba reassured the affected pupils and their parents that they would be allowed to write their papers.

4,655 candidates with special needs to receive support

UNEB also disclosed that 4,655 candidates with Special Needs Education (SNE) requirements will sit this year’s PLE, including 2,352 males and 2,303 females.

Kalule-Musamba said the Board had put in place special arrangements to ensure that candidates with disabilities and other learning challenges participate in the examinations without unnecessary difficulties.

The support will include braille question papers and answer sheets for blind candidates, large-print examination papers for learners with low vision, sign language interpreters for deaf candidates and transcribers for learners with dyslexia and those with severe physical impairments affecting reading and writing.

All candidates under the special needs category will also be granted an additional 45 minutes for each examination paper.

A total of 1,544 support personnel have been deployed to assist these candidates, with scouts and invigilators urged to cooperate with the personnel and remain attentive to the learners’ individual needs.

Security tightened against examination malpractice

As the examinations progress, UNEB has also intensified its warning against examination malpractice, saying security personnel have been deployed alongside 162 district monitors and 13,738 scouts to oversee the conduct of the PLE.

Kalule-Musamba warned candidates against smuggling unauthorised materials into examination rooms, copying, collusion, impersonation, accessing leaked examination papers and receiving external assistance from teachers, invigilators or other individuals.

She further cautioned against improper conduct, script substitution, writing another candidate’s name or examination number on a script, and any other irregularities that could compromise the credibility of the examinations.

The Board particularly warned members of the public against individuals operating social media platforms and collecting money from unsuspecting candidates and parents under the pretext of supplying UNEB examination questions.

She said anyone found engaging in examination malpractice would face prosecution under the UNEB Act, Cap 259.

Under Section 25(1), (2) and (4) of the Act, persons convicted of examination malpractice risk a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of Shs40 million, or both.

Invigilators and scouts who negligently allow malpractice to occur under their supervision were also warned of possible prosecution under Section 26(1)(g), which provides for a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of Shs20 million, or both.

UNEB has urged members of the public with information about suspected examination malpractice to report it through its toll-free line, 0800-211-077.

The Board said informants would be protected under its whistleblower policy and could be compensated if the information provided proved useful.

PLE enters final stages as UACE prepares to begin

The Monday briefing also provided an update on the broader national examination calendar, with the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations entering their final stages.

UCE candidates were scheduled to sit local language papers and Technology and Design, with the final papers, including ICT Theory and selected foreign languages, scheduled for Tuesday, November 3.

The PLE examinations officially begin on Tuesday, November 3, with Mathematics in the morning, followed by Social Studies and Religious Education in the afternoon.

Candidates will complete the examinations on Wednesday, November 4, with Integrated Science in the morning and English in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) examinations will officially commence with candidate briefings on Friday, November 6, before candidates begin writing their papers on Monday, November 9. The examinations are scheduled to run until November 26, 2026.

In her concluding remarks, Kalule-Musamba urged PLE candidates to remain calm and confident, emphasising that national examinations are intended to assess learners’ academic achievements rather than deliberately make them fail.

She encouraged candidates to follow examination instructions, observe timekeeping requirements and avoid any conduct that could jeopardise their results.

“The examination is not meant to fail them but to merely assess their level of achievement to enable them to proceed to the next level of their academic journey,” she said.

She expressed confidence in the candidates’ ability to perform well and wished them God’s blessings as they prepare to complete their primary education. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).