Minister of Education, Douglas Syakalima has announced that a total of 590,949 learners have progressed to the next level of education following the release of the 2025 national examination results, with 384,592 candidates advancing to Form One and 206,357 candidates progressing to Grade Ten.
Dr. Siakalima says all the 384,592 learners who passed the 2025 Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) have been selected to Form One in 2026, representing a progression rate of 71.36 percent, while 206,357 candidates, representing 72.25 percent, obtained certificates at Junior Secondary level and will progress to Grade Ten.
He was speaking when he officially released the 2025 Primary School Examination and Junior Secondary School Leaving Examination results in Lusaka.
“I am glad to inform the nation that all the processing of the 2025 Primary School Leaving Examination and the Junior Secondary School Leaving Examination has been completed,” Dr Syakalima said, describing the results as a timely boost for parents and learners ahead of the 2026 school year.
The Minister indicated that 587,471 candidates registered for the 2025 PSLE, out of which 538,824 candidates, representing 91.72 percent, sat for the examination.
“In terms of sex, 47.24 percent of the candidates who entered for the 2025 PLSE examination were boys, while 52.76 percent were girls. Out of the 587,471 candidates who registered for the 2025 examination, 538,824 candidates representing 91.72 percent sat the examination. This represented a 0.16 percent increase from 2024. Of these, 256,859 (47.67%) were boys, and 282,096 (52.33%) were girls. It is worth noting that, like the 2024 examination, more girls registered and sat the 2025 examination,” he explained.
He said absenteeism at Grade Seven level dropped from 9.44 percent in 2024 to 8.26 percent in 2025, while overall performance improved slightly from the previous year.
Dr. Syakalima further disclosed that 303,674 candidates entered the 2025 Junior Secondary School Leaving Examination, with 285,634 sitting, of which 206,357 candidates obtained certificates, marking a significant improvement from the 55.89 percent recorded in 2024.
“Of the total 303,674 candidates who entered, 144,976 (47.74%) were boys, while 158,698 (52.26%) were girls. Out of the 303,674 candidates who entered the examination, 285,634 sat the examination. This represented an increase of 1.44 percentage points from the 93.16 percent recorded in 2024. Out of the 285,634 who sat the examination, 136,035 (47.63%) were boys, and 149,599 (52.37%) were girls. A total of 18,011 candidates were absent, bringing the 2025 national absenteeism rate to 5.94 percent. This indicated a decrease of 0.90percentage points from 6.84 percent in 2024,”
He attributed the improved performance at junior secondary level to the government’s decision to abolish automatic progression and ensure that only learners with the required competencies advance to secondary school.
He further added that a total of 72,321 candidates obtained statements adding that 6,956 candidates failed the Junior Secondary examination of which 3772 boys and 3,184 girls.
The Minister announced that the 2025 Junior Secondary School Leaving Examination is the last to be conducted, following the implementation of the new education structure under the 2023 Curriculum Framework.
“Provincial Education Officers have since been instructed to place all learners who are not progressing to Grade Ten into Form One classes in 2026,” Dr Siakalima said, adding that the competency-based curriculum provides diverse learning pathways suited to different learner abilities.
He further announced that schools will open on Monday, 12th January 2026, with a two-week grace period ending on Friday, 23rd January 2026, urging parents and guardians to ensure learners report on time as learning will commence immediately.
Meanwhile, the Examinations Council of Zambia (ECZ) Michael Chilala has confirmed that the 2025 Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) and Junior Secondary School Leaving Examination (JSSLE) were successfully conducted and processed without any examination paper leakage.
Dr Chilala thanked the government for its continued support, stating that the backing from the Ministry of Education enabled the Council to effectively execute its mandate.
“With your unwavering support, Minister, we managed to run another leakage-free examination,” Dr Mulala said, while commending the guidance provided through the Permanent Secretary for Administration and the Permanent Secretary for Educational Services.
He further praised directors from the Ministry of Education, including Standards, Assessment and Evaluation, Secondary Education and Curriculum Development, for ensuring that the examinations remained aligned to the curriculum and met required standards of validity and reliability.
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To see the results