NATIONWIDE pass rates for the 2025 Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) rose slightly to 81.8 percent, involving 937,581 pupils passing at grades A, B and C.

Prof Said Ally Mohamed, the National Examinations Council of Tanzania (NECTA) executive secretary, said at a press conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday, that out of 1,172,324 registered pupils, 1,146,231 or 97.77 percent sat for the exam.

The pass rate is a 0.93 percentage point rise from the 80.87 percent achieved last year, showing steady progress, he said, confirming gains for both genders from previous year levels.

A total of 508,477 girls equivalent to 81.21 percent attained the pass level and 429,104 boys equivalent to 82.51 percent of those sitting exams passed, surpassing respective 2024 rates of 80.05 percent for girls and 81.85 percent for boys, he said.

Beyond the pass rate, the quality of performance also improved, with 422,923 candidates (36.9 percent) achieving the top grades of A and B, a 1.07 percentage point rise, he said, noting that measures to ensure strict adherence to integrity were taken.

Results for 31 candidates were cancelled due to cheating and seven others for using offensive language, he stated, elaborating that in line with national data protection laws, examination numbers—not names—will be used to identify individual performance.

The Form Two National Assessment (FTNA) exams will be held from November 10 to 20 across 6,238 secondary schools where a total of 898,755 pupils are expected to sit for the tests-cum-exams.

The 2025 FTNA exercise falls under the new competency-based curriculum, where FTNA is geared to determine pupils’ eligibility for the Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (CSEE) and measures their mastery of lower secondary education skills, he stated.

For the first time, 2,267 candidates will sit for practical skills subjects aligned with the revised Education and Training Policy while 886,999 pupils will be examined under the usual syllabus.

Assessment will also be inclusive, catering to 4,390 pupils with special needs across five categories, along with 9,489 private candidates. All preparations have been completed to guarantee smooth administration of the landmark exercise nationwide, he added.