This table provides metadata for the actual indicator available from Uganda statistics closest to the corresponding global SDG indicator. Please note that even when the global SDG indicator is fully available from Ugandan statistics, this table should be consulted for information on national methodology and other Ugandan-specific metadata information.
| Goal |
Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. |
|---|---|
| Target |
Target 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes. |
| Indicator |
Indicator 4.1.2: Completion rate (primary education, lower secondary education, upper secondary education) |
| Metadata update |
November 2021 |
| Related indicators |
Indicators 4.1.1 |
| Data reporter |
Ministry of Education and Sports |
| Organisation |
Ministry of Education and Sports |
| Contact person(s) |
Mr. Edson Tusiime |
| Contact organisation unit |
Education Planning and Policy Analysis |
| Contact person function |
Senior Statistician |
| Contact phone |
+256 776 835987 |
| Contact mail |
P.O Box 7063, Kampala |
| Contact email |
edsontusiime21@gmail.com |
| Definition and concepts |
Definition: Total number of pupils/students who registered for end of cycle exams regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the population at the official primary/secondary graduation age. Concepts: The intended age for the last grade of each level of education is the age at which pupils/students would enter the grade if they had started school at the official primary/secondary entrance age, had studied full-time and had progressed without repeating or skipping a grade. For example, if the official age of entry into primary education is 6 years, and if primary education has 7 grades, the intended age for the last grade of primary education is 12 years. This indicator is expressed as the percentage of a cohort of children aged 3-5 years above the intended age for the last grade of a level of education who have completed that grade. |
| Unit of measure |
Percent |
| Classifications |
International Standard Classification in Education (ISCED) |
| Data sources |
Administrative data from Uganda National Examination Board for Primary Learning Examination, Uganda Certificate of Education & Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education and the population projections from the National Population and Housing Census |
| Data collection method |
Annually |
| Data collection calendar |
End of cycle examinations is conducted every year. |
| Data release calendar |
Month of February of the following year |
| Data providers |
Ministry of Education and Sports |
| Data compilers |
Uganda National Examination Board and Uganda Bureau of Statistics for population data. |
| Institutional mandate |
The Ministry of Education and Sports is charged with the responsibility of providing quality education and sports services in the country which are constitutional obligations for the Ugandan Government. |
| Rationale |
The indicator is explicitly referenced in the text of target 4.1: ‘ensure that all girls and boys complete primary and secondary education’. A completion rate at or near 100% indicates that all or most children and adolescents have completed a level of education by the time they are 3 to 5 years older than the official age of entry into the last grade of that level of education. A low completion rate indicates low or delayed entry into a given level of education, high drop-out, high repetition, late completion, or a combination of these factors. |
| Comment and limitations |
The numerator may include late entrants and over-aged children who have repeated one or more grades of primary/ secondary education as well as children who entered school early, while the denominator is the number of children at the entrance age for the last grade of primary/secondary education. Also, there are a few candidates who register for Primary Leaving Education/Uganda Certificate of Education/Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education but fail to sit some or all exams. However, this is a negligible number. In addition, it is assumed that on registering for Primary Learning Education, the candidate will have mastered literacy and numeracy which is one of the Universal Primary Education/Universal Secondary Education objectives. Data on completion rates for upper secondary is not readily available |
| Method of computation |
Divide the number of candidates that registered for Primary Leaving Education/Uganda Certificate of Education/ Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education by the 12/16/18 years old population, and multiply the result by 100. |
| Validation |
Non |
| Methods and guidance available to countries for the compilation of the data at the national level |
The International Standard Classification for Education(ISCED) |
| Quality management |
Non |
| Quality assurance |
This involves consultation with data providers such as Uganda Bureau of Statistics. |
| Quality assessment |
Not done |
| Data availability and disaggregation |
The indicator is disaggregated by Sex and District |
| Comparability/deviation from international standards |
Not yet applicable. Data are reported at the national level only. |
| References and Documentation |
Ministry of Education and Sports Factsheet |
| Metadata last updated | Feb 12, 2026 |