South Sudan releases 2025 Primary Eight results, 96% of candidates pass

JUBA – The Government of South Sudan has officially released the 2025 Primary School Leaving Examination results, with more than 96 per cent of candidates passing the national exams, according to the Ministry of General Education and Instruction.

Speaking during the announcement, the Minister of General Education and Instruction, Kuyok Abol Kuyok, said the South Sudan National Examinations Council has completed the processing of the results following months of marking and verification.

“I am delighted to inform the nation that the South Sudan National Examinations Council has finished processing the 2025 Primary School Examination results,” the minister said in a press statement.

The examinations were conducted across the country between 24 and 28 November 2025, marking a key milestone in the country’s basic education system.

According to the ministry, a total of 85,511 candidates registered for the examinations, including 45,938 males and 39,573 females. However, 84,506 candidates eventually sat for the exams after some registered pupils failed to appear at the examination centres.

Of those who took the tests, 45,427 were male candidates while 39,079 were female, the minister said.

The examinations were administered nationwide through 1,925 primary schools, which were organised into 551 examination centres to facilitate supervision and coordination of the national tests.

In terms of overall performance, the results show a strong pass rate among candidates.

“Out of the 84,506 candidates that attempted the exams, 81,431 candidates passed, including 44,161 males and 37,270 females, with an overall pass rate of 96.4 per cent,” Kuyok said.

The minister added that the results translate into a weighted performance index of 71.1 per cent, indicating a generally positive academic outcome among the candidates who sat for the exams.

A breakdown of subject performance revealed improvements in some key areas of the curriculum. According to the analysis released by the ministry, Christian Religious Education and Science recorded the most improvement compared to previous examinations.

However, the results also highlighted persistent challenges in core subjects.

“Subject performance analysis indicates that English and Mathematics remain the worst-performed subjects,” the statement noted, suggesting the need for additional focus on teaching and learning in those areas.

The Primary School Leaving Examination is a critical national assessment that determines whether pupils can progress from primary to secondary education.

Education authorities have in recent years emphasised the need to improve teaching standards, learning materials, and teacher training to strengthen academic performance, particularly in foundational subjects such as English and Mathematics.

The Ministry of General Education and Instruction did not immediately release details of top-performing schools or candidates but said the results mark an important step in evaluating the country’s education system and guiding future reforms.