UACE 2024: Best and worst performed subjects

The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has officially released the 2024 Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) results, revealing a mixed bag of improvements and challenges across various subjects. 

While some subjects saw improvements in student performance, others, particularly in the sciences, experienced notable declines.

Read: UACE results: Girls outperform boys, withheld results number drops

Improved Performance in Key Subjects

There were encouraging results in the performance of students in Economics, Literature in English, Physics, and Biology. 

UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo also noted an increase in students opting for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, although humanities still dominate. 

Struggles in Science Subjects and Humanities

However, the performance in several key subjects showed concerning trends. 

There was a drop in subjects such as Entrepreneurship Education, Christian Religious Education (CRE), Geography, Mathematics, Agriculture, and Chemistry. 

In the humanities, the issue of poor interpretation of questions was a recurring problem. 

“Candidates struggled with understanding the core concepts required to answer questions accurately,” Odong said.

In History, he said critical thinking skills were found to be lacking and that students lacked adequate exposure to key materials, like the national constitution, which is integral to the History curriculum.

Challenges in Religious Education and Practical Skills

Another area of concern was in Christian Religious Education, where examiners noted that candidates showed insufficient knowledge and struggled to apply the teachings of religious texts like the Bible and Quran to everyday situations. 

“There were widespread difficulties in quoting the Bible or Quran correctly and applying the teachings to practical life,” said Odongo.

Internship problems

In Entrepreneurship Education, UNEB pointed out that many students lacked practical experience, which impacted their performance. 

“The lack of internship opportunities in business firms has been a major setback for students studying Entrepreneurship Education. Practical exposure is essential for mastering these subjects,” explained Prof. Obua.

“The information available to us indicates that business firms are unwilling to offer placement for these learners. In some cases the learners are being asked to pay to get placement. This lack of practical exposure impacts their performance in the exams,” he added.

Trouble with languages

Candidates offering languages also showed a lack of knowledge of the relevant cultural practices, the meanings of proverbs and the use of proverbs in sentences. 

There was a lack of appropriate vocabulary to write meaningful translations of passages from English to local languages.