Dan Odongo, UNEB’s Executive Director
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I More than 1.4 million candidates have already registered with the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) ahead of the set registration date. With just 15 days remaining before the extended deadline for normal registration closes on June 30, education stakeholders are urging parents, schools and candidates to take advantage of the remaining window to avoid the costly and painful consequences of late registration.
The impressive registration figures released by UNEB have been widely welcomed as evidence that schools across the country are responding positively to the Board’s registration campaign. However, officials say the numbers should not encourage complacency, especially given the thousands of learners who are still expected to be entered into the system before the deadline expires.
According to UNEB spokesperson Jennifer Kalule-Musamba, more than 1.4 million learners have already been successfully uploaded onto the examination registration system across all levels of national examinations.
The Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) continues to account for the largest share of candidates, with 844,341 pupils already registered. Of these, 444,133 are female, representing 52.6 percent of the total, while 400,208 are male, accounting for 47.4 percent.
Examination centres respond
The registration exercise has also recorded encouraging progress among examination centres. UNEB reports that 91.5 percent of PLE centres have already submitted candidate data. At the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) level, 76.6 percent of centres have completed submissions, while 69 percent of Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) centres have forwarded their registration information.
The strong response comes after UNEB extended the normal registration deadline from May 31 to June 30, 2026. The decision was announced by Executive Director Dan Odongo, who explained that the extension was necessary to accommodate newly accredited examination centres and ensure that their candidates are not disadvantaged.
Odongo said the extension applies to both newly accredited and existing centres, giving all institutions additional time to finalize candidate information and complete the registration process.
The announcement has been positively received by headteachers and parents, many of whom view the extension as an opportunity to resolve outstanding registration challenges. However, UNEB has repeatedly emphasized that schools should not interpret the extra month as permission to delay action.
Odongo warned against what he described as the “deadline syndrome,” a common practice where schools postpone registration until the final days, often resulting in mistakes, omissions and unnecessary panic.
To discourage delays, UNEB has maintained strict penalties for candidates who fail to register within the normal registration period. According to the Board’s guidelines, late registration will run from July 1 to July 31, after which no further candidate data will be accepted under any circumstances.
Surcharge set
Candidates registering during the late period will face substantial surcharges. PLE candidates will be required to pay an additional 100 percent of the normal registration fee, while UCE and UACE candidates will incur a 50 percent surcharge.
For privately sponsored candidates, the standard registration fees remain Shs 34,000 for PLE, Shs 164,000 for UCE and Shs 186,000 for UACE. Education officials argue that avoiding late registration not only saves parents money but also reduces the risk of administrative errors that could affect candidates later.
Beyond registration deadlines, UNEB has also issued several important guidelines, particularly for Senior Four candidates preparing to sit the UCE examinations. The Board has clarified that only candidates who completed their Primary Leaving Examination in 2022 or earlier are eligible to register for UCE in 2026.
Candidates are also required to register for a minimum of eight subjects and a maximum of nine subjects. Schools must submit Continuous Assessment (CA) scores and project work scores obtained during Senior Three, which now form an integral part of the assessment process under the new lower secondary curriculum.
UNEB has further advised candidates whose Continuous Assessment scores have already been submitted not to change their names or optional subject combinations while in Senior Four. Repeat candidates have also been reminded that they must present complete records of all subjects taken during both Senior Three and Senior Four, including project work results.
While the registration exercise has progressed smoothly in many parts of the country, UNEB remains concerned about recurring cases of learners missing examinations due to non-registration. Every year, students who have attended classes throughout their school cycle discover too late that they were never entered into the national examination system.
UNEB register critical
One of the most memorable examples occurred last year at Cream Field Vocational Senior Secondary School in Nakifuma, Mukono District. More than 15 Senior Four candidates reportedly arrived at school ready to sit their UCE examinations only to find that their names did not appear on the UNEB register.
The incident sparked outrage among parents and students, with some families reportedly breaking down in tears after realizing that their children had lost an entire academic year. UNEB officials have frequently cited such cases as a reminder of why parents must personally verify candidate registration.
To prevent similar incidents, the Board has directed schools to publicly display candidate registers and encouraged parents to inspect them carefully. Guardians can also independently confirm registration status by sending a candidate’s full index number via SMS to 6600.
With the June 30 deadline fast approaching, education stakeholders say the message is clear: register early, verify details carefully and avoid waiting for the final days. For thousands of candidates across the country, the remaining two weeks could make the difference between a smooth examination journey and a devastating disappointment.
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