South Sudan announces 2026 primary, secondary examination dates ahead of elections

South Sudan has announced the dates for the 2026 Certificate of Primary Education (CPE) and Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) examinations, with more than 141,000 candidates registered to sit the national examinations ahead of the December 22 general elections. The Minister of General Education and Instruction, Dr. Kuyok Abol Kuyok, announced the examination schedules during a press conference in Juba on Thursday, October 22, 2026. “The CPE and CSE examinations will commence on Monday, the 16th November, and will conclude on Friday, the 20th November 2026,” Dr. Kuyok said. However, the minister’s statement, as provided, gives conflicting dates for the two examinations.

The official schedule lists the Certificate of Primary Education examinations from November 16 to November 20, while the Certificate of Secondary Education examinations are scheduled from November 3 to December 1, 2026. According to Dr. Kuyok, a total of 87,892 candidates have registered for the primary examinations, representing a 3. 5 percent increase compared with last year. “For the Certificate of Primary Education, a total of 87,892 candidates have duly registered for the 2026 examinations,” he said. The primary examination candidates comprise 46,966 males and 40,924 females from 2,007 primary schools across 518 examination centres nationwide. Meanwhile, 53,301 candidates have registered for the secondary examinations, marking a 14 percent increase compared with the previous year. They include 31,037 males and 22,264 females from 596 secondary schools across the country.…