South Sudan National Examinations Candidates Statistics for 2025

On the 13th of November, 2025, the Ministry of General Education and Instruction announced it has finalized all preparations for the final examinations, both the Certificate for Primary Education (CPE) and the Certificate for Secondary Education (CSE), and therefore released the respective timetables.

The minister, Dr Kuyok Abol Kuyok, revealed that a total of 84,815 candidates have registered for the Certificate of Primary Education examinations, with 45,545 males and 39,270 females, while 44,815 candidates registered for the Certificate of Secondary Education examinations, with 25,863 males and 18,952 females.

A total of 129,630 candidates have registered for both national examinations, underscoring a significant commitment to education across the primary and secondary levels.

The number of candidates for the Certificate of Primary Education (CPE) 2025 examination is nearly double the number for the Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) 2025 examination, reflecting the natural attrition rate between primary and secondary education levels.

For the CPE 2025, there is a registration pool of 84,815 candidates compared to 44,815 in CSE.

The trend of higher male enrolment is more pronounced at the secondary level, with a wider gender gap compared to the CPE examination.

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Gender Distribution Analysis:

The data reveals a consistent trend where male candidates outnumber female candidates at both the primary and secondary education certificate levels

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As students progress to the CSE level, the proportion of female candidates decreases from 46.3% at the primary level to 42.3% at the secondary level, indicating a greater attrition rate for female students between the two educational milestones.

A graph showing the gender difference in CSE candidates in 2025 | Source: Datawrapper.

Two Key Observations

1. Lower Progression Rate for Females: The data suggests that a smaller proportion of female candidates who register for the CPE continue their education to the CSE level compared to their male counterparts. This trend results in a larger gender gap at the secondary level (57.7% male in CSE vs. 53.7% male in CPE).
2. Total Candidates: The 129,630 total candidates represent a massive logistical undertaking, particularly with the two examination periods running consecutively from late November through early December.