Gen Saleh: I Sat O-Level Exams with My Daughter When I Was 38 Years Old

General (Rtd) Caleb Akandwanaho, commonly known as Salim Saleh, the Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation, has wished Senior Four candidates success as they sit their Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) exams under the new curriculum.

“Dear candidates, 26 years ago, aged 38 years, I sat for my O-level exams at Nakasongola Army Secondary School. I sat that exam with my daughter Joseline Kenyana,” he stated in his message to O-level candidates.

He added: “We were using the old curriculum and I felt it was not beneficial. I’m happy you are using the new curriculum. I wish you all the best.”

The first cohort of Senior Four candidates under the new Lower Secondary Curriculum started their exams on Monday, October 4, 2024.

Under the new curriculum, emphasis is put on competence-based learning instead of rote learning. The Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) awards marks out of 80 percent and the respective schools award 20 percent.

According to UNEB, the total candidature for the two sets of examinations is 379, 748. Of these, 10,147 are transitional candidates, while 369, 601 are the pioneers of the new curriculum.

Of the transitional candidates, 54.7% are female and 45.3% are male. For the new curriculum, pioneer female candidates stand at 187,870 (50.8%), and males are 181,727 (49.2%). The candidates are sitting at 4,168 examination centers.

Additionally, 138,502 candidates (36.4%) are funded by the government under the Universal Secondary Education (USE) Programme, an increase from last year’s 114,200 government-sponsored candidates.

The number of privately sponsored candidates stands at 241,246. Among the candidates, 825 learners are Special Needs Education (SNE) candidates.