First Lady Janet Museveni has expressed happiness with the increase in the number of pupils completing Primary Education, saying it’s a sign that more children are starting and finishing.
Speaking at State House Naksero during the release of Primary Leaving Examination results for 2025, she said, “This is an indication that more children who started Primary One in the 2025 Primary Seven cohort remain in school to the end of the cycle.”
However, she expressed disappointment with the existing disparities in the number of boys and girls finishing primary education, noting that the proportion of boys completing the cycle has been decreasing.
“I become concerned about the fact that the proportion of the boys completing this cycle has been decreasing. Is this purely a demographic matter, or are more boys than girls indeed dropping out of school?” she asked.
Museveni praised the government’s policy on inclusive and equitable education, citing the performance of children with special needs.
“When the right environment is provided, these children perform as well as those without disabilities. Therefore, this shows that the government’s policy on inclusive and equitable education is bearing good fruit,” she said.
She also commended the Uganda Prisons Service for providing inmates with education opportunities, saying it’s an impactful way of rehabilitation.
“I firmly believe, as I am sure others do, that giving this opportunity is an impactful way of rehabilitating the inmates. The education they acquire should enable them to integrate back into society easily and more profitably, and reform into better citizens,” she said.
The results show that more learners passed in Division One compared to 2024. UNEB Executive Director Dan N. Odongo said more girls (52.4%) completed primary education than boys (47.6%). “This has been the trend in recent years. The percentage was 52.5% for the girls in 2024, whereas for the boys it was 47.5%,” he said.
Museveni said the government has invested in Seed Secondary Schools and TVET institutions to absorb more learners transitioning from primary education.
“As the government, our investments in establishing additional seed schools in recent years have created room to absorb more learners who are transitioning from Primary Education to O-Level,” she said.
She highlighted the establishment of the Technical Vocational Education system, regulated by the TVET Council, as another pathway for learners completing Primary Seven.
“The government has 42 Community Polytechnics – in addition to about 100 privately owned Community Polytechnics, that can also absorb learners from Primary Seven,” she said.
Museveni emphasised the importance of competency-based learning, saying it’s the direction the country is heading.
“The examination emphasised the competency-based learning approach that the country has adopted, and the questions tested knowledge, understanding and application of the knowledge to solve problems in the community,” she said.
The Ministry of Education is implementing interventions to ensure quality capacity building of teachers, in line with the National Teacher Policy 2019.
The Selection Exercise for Senior One will take place on February 12-13, 2026, and the First Term for Senior One starts on March 2, 2026.