UNEB issues final call for normal registration of 2026 national examinations

The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has issued a final reminder to heads of examination centres across the country that the extended period for normal registration of candidates for the 2026 national examinations will close on June 30, 2026.

In a statement released on Thursday, UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo urged heads of primary and secondary schools to ensure that all eligible learners are registered before the deadline to avoid costly penalties associated with late registration.

According to UNEB, candidates who fail to register within the normal registration period will have to register during the month of July under the late registration window, which attracts significant surcharges. Late registration fees will be Shs68,000 for Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) candidates, Shs246,000 for Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) candidates, and Shs279,000 for Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) candidates.

The Board emphasized that government-sponsored learners under the Universal Primary Education (UPE), Universal Secondary Education (USE) and Uganda Post O-Level Education and Training (UPOLET) programmes are expected to have completed registration during the normal registration period and should not be subjected to late registration charges.

UNEB reported that registration numbers have continued to rise, with 1,527,867 candidates already registered for the three examinations. This represents an increase of 7.3 percent compared to the 1,416,448 candidates registered in 2025.

“The Board advises Heads of Centres to utilize the remaining time to ensure that no learner who is supposed to sit this year’s examinations is left out of the registration process,” Odongo said.

The examinations body also reiterated its warning against schools and administrators charging unauthorized fees and misrepresenting them as UNEB registration charges. Such practices, UNEB noted, constitute an offence under the UNEB Act, Cap 259, Section 33.

Offenders risk penalties including a fine of up to Shs40 million, imprisonment for up to 10 years, or both. UNEB further warned that examination centres involved in the malpractice could lose their accreditation, while convicted registered teachers may be deregistered from the profession.

Parents and guardians who suspect schools of charging excessive registration fees under the guise of UNEB requirements have been advised to report such cases to the nearest police station for investigation.

Meanwhile, UNEB said schools can still correct registration errors by downloading amendment forms from their school portals and submitting them before the registration period closes.

After registration, schools will be required to display candidate registers in accessible locations within school premises to enable candidates, parents and guardians to verify registration details and confirm that all information is accurate.

UNEB also announced plans to introduce an SMS verification service that will allow candidates and parents to confirm registration status remotely. Details regarding the activation of the service will be communicated later.

For inquiries and guidance, UNEB has encouraged stakeholders to contact the Board through its customer care line 041-777-3100 or the toll-free numbers 0800-211-077 and 0800-111-427.

The Board has called on schools, parents and learners to use the remaining days before the June 30 deadline to ensure that every eligible candidate is registered for this year’s national examinations.