DOKOLO – As the extended period for normal registration of Primary Leaving Examination candidates draws closer to an end, concerns mount in Dokolo District over the whereabouts of 563 Primary Seven pupils who sat entrance exams in 2025 but are now missing from the 2026 PLE registration list.
Nationally, the Uganda National Examinations Board provisional candidature for PLE 2026 stands at 844,341 candidates; with 444,133 females representing 52.6% and 400,208 males representing 47.4%.
Of these, 539,954 candidates, 64%, are registered under the Universal Primary Education program sponsored by Government, while 304,387 candidates, 36%, are privately sponsored.
In Dokolo District, authorities say a total of 3,581 candidates have been registered to sit for PLE 2026. According to Tonny Lameck Erecu, District Inspector of Schools, out of 3,581 candidates, 1,821 are males and 1,760 are females.
Erecu noted that 1,512 boys and 1,430 girls were registered from Government-aided primary schools, while 309 boys and 330 girls were registered from private schools.
The current registration figure is 563 less than the 4,144 candidates who sat for Primary Seven entrance in Dokolo in 2025. Of those 2025 candidates, 3,341 passed with grades ranging from Division One to Division Four, representing 80.3%, while 794 pupils did not pass, representing 19.1%, and 20 pupils were in Division X, representing 0.48%.
The drop in numbers caused consternation about the fate of the 563 candidates missing from the registration list for PLE 2026.
Concern started in April 2026 when the Dokolo District Examination Board, a sub-committee of the Dokolo Head Teachers’ Association decided to organise internal examinations for both private and government-aided schools.
They directed over 500 candidates in Dokolo to be blocked from 2026 PLE registration after failing newly introduced pre-registration exams.
While releasing the 2026 Primary Seven pre-registration examinations conducted under the theme “Dokolo Must Eradicate Division U in PLE 2026”, Isaac Okoth, Secretary of the Dokolo District Examination Board, revealed that 3,440 candidates registered for pre-registration exams, comprising 1,762 boys and 1,678 girls. Of these, 2,901 candidates passed, representing 84.3%, while 539 failed, representing 15.7%.
“The Board advised that Head Teachers should only consider registering the competent 2,901 candidates who scored between Division 1 and Division 4,” Okoth said. “The 539 candidates who scored Division U were advised to repeat Primary 6 so that they can perform better next year, 2027.”
Speaking to our reporter, most Head Teachers expressed disquiet with the decision made by the Dokolo District Examination Board to block registration of pupils who got Division U in both the Primary 7 entrance and pre-registration exams.
According to the constitution of Uganda every child enjoys rights, opportunities and access to education.
Educating each child is a joint responsibility of the State and parent(s) or guardian(s) of the child. No child is to be deprived of education for any social, economic benefit or any other belief.
When free universal education was introduced in 2008, it was to be affordable even to households living in dire poverty. At the time, there were proposed fees of UGx 10,400 per child for an entire school year, rising with inflation. Most households in Dokolo District have multiple children of primary school age.
It is against this backdrop that parents and guardians of P7 Candidates in Dokolo raised alarm about the District Education Department Officials introducing pre-examination fees.
Parents and guardians were never part of that decision making process. They first became aware of the new fees when given just over a fortnight to pay an additional UGx 10k pre-registration examination fees.
Some parents paid despite the short notice. Others were unable to get funds in time and did not pay. Others did not receive notification and did not pay.
Candidates that failed the pre-examination, had their progression to P7 unilaterally revoked by the Dokolo District Examination Board. Over 500 were demoted to P.6 to repeat.
Parents and Guardians have raised the following concerns:
1. Most of them come from impoverished households and have been disproportionately disadvantaged because failure to pay the pre-examination fee, resulted in a division U grade. Any decision that bars access to education based on affordability is unconstitutional.
2. Most importantly as education is a joint responsibility between the State and parents, any decision made unilaterally is unconstitutional.
3. Families have complained of inadequate time to prepare, resulting in poor grades that do not reflect true abilities of their children. Given that the constitution guarantees laws in the best interest of the child, decisions that go against their best interest is unconstitutional.
4. Although parents and guardians appreciate the need for the District to improve performance, the best way forward would be through consultation that enables joint decision making. Also funding so there are more teachers hired to improve student attainment. As well as basic facilities like hygiene and sanitation that keep children, especially girls in school.
5. Eradicating division U, by barring education access to certain students distorts the reality of student capability and attainment in Dokolo District.
6. Parents and Guardians request an immediate reversal of the unilateral decision to bar hundreds of Candidates from sitting PLE 2026. A meeting should then be arranged when the 2 parties constitutionally responsible for the education of children to meet as equals then chart a way forward from next year.
