Delayed delivery of examination materials disrupted the start of the 2026 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) at some centers on Tuesday, as 920,833 candidates began writing their examinations across the country.
Ms Allen Muzale, the headteacher of Police Children’s School in Kubuli a kampala suburb, said the examinations started smoothly, although candidates had to wait longer than scheduled after examination papers arrived late.
At Hidden Treasure Primary School in Kibuli, the examinations began amid grief following the death of one of the school’s candidates a week before the examinations.
The headteacher, Mr Peter Muwaya, said the loss had cast a dark shadow over the school as other candidates reported for their first papers in a somber mood.
According to the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), this year’s candidature increased by 12.5 per cent from 812,998 pupils registered in 2025.
The candidates today sat for Mathematics in the morning and Social Studies in the afternoon. On Wednesday the candidates will conclude the exams with integrated Science in the morning and English in the afternoon.
