what is the importance of education in uganda

​The Importance of Education in Uganda

Those living in Uganda’s smallest villages often suffer from malnutrition, poverty, and hopelessness. Grace Giving International is working to help assist and offer relief to children and their families by building schools and churches, and by aiding with donations, food, and the word of God. We are compelled to make a difference in the lives of those who suffer unimaginable livelihoods. 

While we are addressing immediate needs such as food, water, and clothing, we are working hard on several other fronts. Our plans for the long term include continuing to grow opportunities in education. By building schools and churches, we ensure a better future for those in the villages. By making improvements in education, we give Ugandan children hope. With the right tools they can escape the life they were born into and break free from poverty. 

At Grace Giving International we strongly believe that ev ery person deserves to have a chance to live a better life. We feel that every child should have an equal chance at education, and it is our goal to see that we empower these impoverished communities to unlock their potential. We are passionate about our efforts and can see a difference in our work. With your generous donation, we can continue to dedicate our time and energy to our cause. 

Slide title

The difficulties a student faces to get an education.

Because of the limited awareness, narrow importance placed on education and need for children to help the family work, approximately just one in every four Ugandan children enrolled in primary school makes it to secondary school. And less than half of those students who finish primary school can read. Additionally, children with disabilities are left out of any formal education. Only a quarter of adolescents are enrolled at the secondary level. Factors such as school fees, abuse in school, and teenage pregnancy keep children, especially girls, out of school. 

Even the school environment itself plays a large role in keeping children une ducated. A lack of standard hygiene necessities such as sinks, and toilets, and sexual abuse, are extremely unfortunate circumstances for young people hoping to get an education. Our goal at GGI is to not only build schools and provide necessary equipment to run them properly, but to work with the government to build a safe and adequate education system for all. 

How Grace Giving International Helps In Uganda

By placing a greater emphasis on education while managing and coordinating curriculum with the local government, GGI has the potential to increase the quality and sustainability of education for Uganda’s most vulnerable children. With generous donations we can help aid the tuition fees, provide proper supplies, and offer so much more to these children who truly want to learn. GGI is helping primary and secondary age children get the education they need while helping to significantly reduce the nation’s drop-out rate. The COVD-19 pandemic has greatly reduced an education system that is already suffering. As we continue to support and progress in our efforts, we encourage you to consider giving – in whatever amount you can, to GGI to give these deserving children the better future they deserve. 

Fountain of Hope End of December 2022

Special Edition December Newsletter

Fountain of Hope Ministries October 2022

Fountain of Hope Ministries March 2022

Fountain of Hope Ministries February 2022

Fountain of Hope Ministries December 2021

Helping End Poverty in Congo

Fountain of Hope Ministries: June 2021 Newsletter

Donations Matter More Than You Can Imagine

Update: Emergency Relief to the Community June 2021

Useful links, contact info, [email protected], po box 31525, spokane, wa 99223, copyright 2023 © grace giving international. all rights reserved..

International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa

Uganda: Education Country Brief

IICBA collaborates with a wide range of partners. For Uganda and other anglophone African countries plus Mozambique, one of those partnerships is the KIX Africa 19 Hub meant to promote the use of evidence in decision-making and south-south exchanges of good practices. The Ministry-appointed focal point for the country under the KIX Africa 19 Project is Ms. Sarah Bugoosi. 

This brief provides data and references to the literature on issues that matter for education in Uganda. It is part of a series that provides a brief introduction to the state of education systems in Africa. The work was prepared for country pages on IICBA’s website and a digital repository of resources at the country, sub-regional, and continental level. The brief series also informs work conducted in the context of (i) the European Union’s Africa Regional Teachers’ Initiative and (ii) the KIX (Knowledge and Innovation eXchange) Africa 19 Hub for anglophone countries that promotes the use of evidence for policy making and benefits from funding from the Global Partnership for Education and Canada’s International Development Research Center. This brief and its associated webpage are meant to be updated as new information becomes available, at least on a yearly basis. 

Key resources: This brief provides the following resources: 

• Educational outcomes: Estimates are provided for learning poverty (the share of 10-year-old children not able to read and understand a simple text), educational attainment and/or enrollment rates at various levels of education, the components of the human capital index, and human capital wealth as a share of national wealth. 
• Selected literature: Links are provided to selected publications at the global, regional, and country levels with a focus on six themes: (i) learning assessment systems; (ii) early childhood education; (iii) teaching and learning; (iv) the data challenge; (v) gender equality; and (vi) equity and inclusion. 
• Country policies: Links are provided to key institutions (including Ministries) managing the education system, selected policy and planning documents, and websites that aim to provide comparative data on policies across countries.
• Knowledge repositories and other resources: Links are provided to a dozen digital repositories that collate publications and resources on education issues in Africa. 
• Data: Links are provided to data sources that can help inform education policy.

This country brief provides a brief introduction to selected issues and research relevant to Uganda’s education system and links to resources that may be useful to official of Ministries of Education and other education stakeholders. A special focus is placed on thematic areas from the KIX (Knowledge and Innovation eXchange) initiative for which UNESCO IICBA manages the Secretariat of the Africa KIX 19 Hub. Together with the associated webpages on UNESCO IICBA’s website, the brief is to be updated as new information becomes available, typically every year. The brief starts with a review of basic data on educational outcomes including learning poverty, educational attainment, and the human capital index. The focus then shifts to information related to the thematic areas of focus of the KIX Africa 19 Hub, namely: (i) learning assessment (ii) early childhood education; (iii) teaching & learning (iv) data challenge; (v) gender equality; and (vi) equity and inclusion. The brief also includes links to country documents and processes as well as a range of other resources and websites.

Educational Outcomes and Human Capital

Uganda as many other African countries is facing a learning crisis. Learning poverty, the share of children not able to read and understand an age-appropriate text by age 10, is estimated by the World Bank, UNESCO, and other organizations at  83 percent (see Table 1 for selected statistics) This is in part because out-of-school children are unlikely to achieve reading proficiency. But it mostly results from the fact that 81 percent of children enrolled in primary school could be learning poor. It is imperative to improve the quality of the education provided in schools.

Schooling does not imply learning, but lack of learning increases the likelihood of dropping out of school. According to the World Bank and UNESCO Institute of Statistics, the  primary school completion rate was at 52 percent in 2017 for boys and 54 percent for girls. In the same year,  lower secondary completion was at 28% for men and 25% for women.  Gross enrollment in tertiary education was at 6 percent for men in 2016 versus 4 percent for women. 

Another useful statistic is the  Human Capital Index for Uganda based on six variables: (i) the probability that a child will survive past age five (95 percent); (ii) the years of schooling that a child is expected to complete by age 18 (6.8 years); (iii) the level of learning that a child is expected to acquire (397 on a scale where 625 represents advanced attainment and 300 the lowest attainment); (iv) the learning-adjusted years of schooling that a child is expected to complete, a measure combining the two previous measures (4.3 years); (v) the adult survival rate (74 percent of 15-year olds surviving until age 60); and finally (vi) the probability that a child will not be stunted in early childhood (71 percent). Based on those six variables, the expected productivity in adulthood of a child is estimated in comparison to full productivity that could be expected with full education and health. The estimate is that a child born in Uganda today will reach only 38 percent of its potential. This is lower than the average for sub-Saharan Africa region but higher than the average for Low-income countries.

One last statistic may help make the case for the importance of investing in education for the country’s development. A country’s wealth mainly consists of three types of capital: (1) Produced capital comes from  investments in assets such as factories, equipment, or infrastructure; (2) Natural capital consists of assets such as agricultural land and both renewable and nonrenewable natural resources; (3) Human capital is measured as the present value of the future earnings of the labor force, which in turn depends on the level of educational attainment of the labor force. The latest estimates from the  World Bank suggest that human capital wealth in Uganda accounts for 73 percent of national wealth. 

Selected Literature

Supporting countries in using evidence for policymaking is an objective shared by many organizations and initiatives. Under the KIX initiative for which UNESCO IICBA manages the KIX Africa 19 Hub and collaborates with KIX Africa 21, the focus is on six themes: (i) learning assessment systems (ii) early childhood education; (iii) teaching and learning (iv) the data challenge; (v) gender equality; and (vi) equity and inclusion. For each topic, a link is provided to the GPE-KIX Discussion paper written at the start of the initiative in 2019 and additional publications that could be useful for policy. By necessity, to keep this brief short, only a few resources can be mentioned, but additional resources can be accessed through digital repositories listed below. A brief note on UNESCO IICBA research is also provided.

Learning Assessment Systems   [GPE-KIX Discussion Paper] .   Learning assessment tools and systems are essential to gauge and improve learning outcomes for students. A  primer on large scale assessments from the World Bank provides guidance on such assessments, as does a review of learning  assessments in Africa  from UNESCO IIEP. Among regional assessments,  PASEC (Programme for the Analysis of Education Systems) for francophone countries in West and Central Arica and  SEACMEQ  (Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality) for anglophone countries in East and Southern Africa are the best known. These instruments target primary schools. Other tools that focus and assess the learning outcomes of young learners include the Early Grade Reading and Mathematics Assessments (EGRA/EGMA). Supported and funded primarily by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), these assessments are administered by different agencies such as the World Bank, RTI International and others across the continent. The  West African Examinations Council also provides guidance on examinations and certificate accreditation in Anglophone countries of West Africa. Also interesting is  PISA for development which is being piloted in secondary schools in a few African countries. 

Uganda participates in regional and international assessments such as  SEACMEQ . Responsible bodies assessing learning include the  Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), the  National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC), the Education Standards Agency (ESA),  Makerere University , and the  Education Service Commission (ESC), among others. UNEB is mandated to conduct summative examinations at primary (PLE), lower secondary (UCE), and upper secondary (UACE). 

In response to the impact of COVID-19 on education, UNEB and the GPE conducted a comprehensive assessment. The assessment combined written tests, focus group discussions, and interviews to understand the effects of the pandemic on learning at primary and secondary education levels in Uganda. The findings are summarized in the report “ The Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on Teaching and Learning at Primary and Secondary Education Levels in Uganda ” (2021). 

Improving Teaching and Learning   [GPE-KIX Discussion Paper] . How teachers and students interact and engage is key to improve learning outcomes. Cost-effective approaches pr ‘smart buys’ to improve learning in low-income countries are discussed in a  World Bank report . Teaching is paramount, and therefore so are teacher policies to ensure that  successful teachers make for successful students. Standards for the teaching profession were proposed by  Education International and UNESCO with regional standards available from the Africa Union Commission, including a framework for standards and competencies. 

Uganda uses a  7-4-2-3+ structure , compromising seven years of primary education, four years of lower secondary, followed by two years of upper secondary and a minimum of three years of post-secondary education. The quality of and efficiency of primary education in Uganda have raised concerns, as highlighted in the country’s  National Development Plan (NDP) III 2020/21-2024/25 . The plan cites low literacy rates (49.9 percent at P.3, and 53.1% at P.6), low numeracy rates (55.2% at P.3, and 50.9% at P.6) and low completion rates in primary at 38% in 2018 due to high drop-out. 

The quality of teaching is identified as an important factor contributing to low learning outcomes in the NDP. To address this, the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES), with the support of IICBA under the  Capacity Development for Education (CapED) Programme , has undertaken several initiatives, including the development of the  Continuous Professional Development Framework (2017),  National Teacher Policy (2018),  Situational Analysis of Quality Assurance for Teacher Training Programme (2018),  the Quality Assurance Framework for Initial Teacher Education (2019), among others. Furthermore, IICBA’s  Policy Brief (2017) summarizes the process of the National Teacher Policy development in Uganda. 

Additionally, a study by  Gilligan et al. (2019) evaluated a program in rural Uganda that introduced bonus payments to teachers based on students’ math performance relative to comparable students in other schools. This program targeted 302 primary schools (Grade 6) in Uganda and found that the incentive system raised teacher’s attendance rates. 

Strengthening Early Childhood Care and Education [ GPE-KIX Discussion Paper ]. Experiences children undergo in early childhood can affect their entire life.  Nurturing care is essential. Essential interventions in early childhood include pre-primary education.  Yet less than half of young children in Africa benefit from pre-primary education according to the  Global Education Monitoring report 2021 .  The Office of Research at UNICEF maintains a  webpage with useful links to organizations working on child-related themes organized by subject, including early childhood. 

Pre-primary education in Uganda is  predominantly privately-run and located in urban areas . The  National Development Plan (NDP) III 2020/21-2024/25 highlights the issues of low access to ECCE, which stood at 15.6 % in 2015/16. Addressing the challenges in ECCE, Uganda has developed the   Early Childhood Care and Education Policy , a key policy framework introduced by the MoES in 2018. For a previous assessment of the status and implementation of early childhood development policies in Uganda, the Uganda National Commission for UNESCO published a report on “ The Status of Implementation of the Education Sector Early Childhood Development Policy in Uganda ” (2012) examining the condition of ECD policies in Uganda.

To gain insights into the ECCE landscape in Uganda, the African Early Childhood Network (AfECN) offers the  Uganda: ECD Profile based on UNICEF’s  The State of the World's Children 2023 . Moreover,  Mendenhall et al. (2021) explored promising innovations for teacher professional development that can support the uptake of play-based learning in three countries, including Uganda. Basic data on early childhood development are available from a  nurturing care profile .

Achieving Gender Equality In and Through Education [GPE-KIX Discussion Paper] . The  cost of gender inequality is massive, as is the  cost of not educating girls , including in  Africa . When girls lack education, this affects their earnings in adulthood, the number of children they will have and their health, as well as their agency, among others. When girls are not in school, they are also at higher risk of child marriage, with again  high costs for them, their children, and society. In Africa, the African Union’s  International Centre for the Education of Girls and Women in Africa supports member states on girls’ education. 

Recent policy documents addressing gender equality in Uganda include key policy documents such as the  Gender in Education sector policy (2016) and the  National Strategy for Girls Education (2015-2019).  Uganda’s Vision 2040 states that ‘gender, disability and human rights mainstreaming are a core part of the planning process’; however, challenges such as teenage pregnancies, early marriages, and violence in schools hinder the realization of gender equity goals. 

A  2022 UNICEF report on Child Marriage in Eastern and Southern Africa estimates that 1 in 3 young women were first married or in union before the age of 18. In Uganda, the  cost of child marriage is high and it is estimated that if child marriage and early childbearing had ended in 2015, the economic impact would have been equivalent to US$2.4 billion purchasing power parity by 2030. 66% of women aged 20 to 24 years who were first married or in union before age 18 had no education as compared to 15% who had at least a secondary education.

The spread of violence in schools is also an alarming issue in the education sector. A study conducted by  Raising Voices & London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (2017) found that over 90% of children between 11 and 14 years of age have suffered physical violence from school staff at some point in their lives. IICBA has produced several knowledge briefs in 2023 that provide relevant background information such as “ Uganda: Gender Inequality and National Wealth ”, “ Uganda: Girls’ Education, Early Childbearing, and Child Health” ,”  Uganda: Basic Profile of Child Marriage ”, “ Uganda: Girls’ Education, Child Marriage, and Fertility Rates and “ Uganda: Basic Profile of Early Childbearing .” For a thorough overview  of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in the country, the Global Education Monitoring report webpage offers valuable insight into the state of  CSE in Uganda .

Data Management Systems Strengthening   [GPEKIX Discussion Paper] . Education management information systems (EMIS) are key for management. They can also support evidence-based policymaking. In Africa, the  African Union’s Institute of Education for Development supports member states on EMIS. In addition to EMIS data, other data sources including household surveys, school surveys, student assessments, and impact evaluations of pilot interventions are essential to inform policy. 

In Uganda, the key entities responsible for educational data management include the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), and District Education Offices (DEOs). UNESCO’s report “ Strengthening Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) and Data for Increased Resilience to Crisis: country case study: Uganda : (2021) summarizes the current information mechanisms and provides recommendations. The report notes that current EMIS has not been updated since 2017 due to concerns about the quality and coverage of the data. The report offers valuable recommendations for improving and enhancing the EMIS to address the challenges it faces. 

Cambridge Education’s think piece, “ Integrating ECCE in Uganda’s EMIS ,” examines the integration of ECCE into Uganda’s EMIS to create a more responsive and inclusive national Ugandan EMIS.

Equity and Inclusion/Leaving No One Behind   [GPEKIX Discussion Paper] . Equity and inclusion are major challenges for education systems. Gender, disability, ethnicity, indigenous status, poverty, displacement, and many other factors may all lead some children to lack access to education. In Africa especially, gaps in educational outcomes between groups may be large, as illustrated in the case of  disability . Equity must be at the center of  education policy on the continent. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) are Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) are two major international frameworks related to disability-inclusive education exist.

Uganda has implemented free tuition at primary school level since 1997 under its Universal Primary Education program . In 2007, the Universal Post-Primary Education and Training program extended this free education policy to primary education, further increasing access to education. On regional disparities, the  Uwezo (2016) report notes that literacy rates in Kampala are significantly higher (30-40 percentage points higher) than in the poorest regions.

Uganda has also shown a strong commitment to inclusive education. In 1998, the  Uganda National Action on Physical Disability (UNAPD) was established to provide a platform for addressing the needs of Persons with Physical Disabilities (PWPD).  UNESCO, UNICEF and the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation’s report “ Good practices in South-South and triangular cooperation: transforming education and delivering on SDG 4 ” (2023) highlights examples of inclusive education practices in Uganda, such as the provision of accessible digital textbooks. Uganda's inclusive education policies is further evidenced by its development of the “ Education response plan for refugees and host communities in Uganda (2018-2021) ” which addresses the specific educational needs of refugees and their host communities. 

Uganda is a signatory to several international and regional commitments. The country  ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1990 and ratified the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 20 08.

The GEM Report webpage " Inclusion in Uganda " provides a comprehensive overview of the country's efforts to promote inclusive and equitable education for all.

Note on UNESCO IICBA Research.  IICBA recently launched a new program of applied research on teacher and education issues in Africa. A total of 200 publications have been completed from January to September 2023, including studies, discussion papers, training guides, reports, knowledge briefs, event summaries, and interviews. Several of those publications focus on Uganda. All publications are available on  IICBA’s website . 

Country Policies 

Information on Uganda’s education system and policies is available on the website of the  Ministry of Education and Sports which covers basic and higher education as well as technical education and vocational training (TVET). The  Education and Sports Sector Strategic Plan (2017-2020) is the most recent flagship policy covering the sector in Uganda.  In 2018, the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development commissioned a report that provides an  Independent Assessment (Appraisal) Report on the Education and Sports Sector Strategic Plan 2017-2020 (2018) which provides comprehensive assessment of the strategic plan. Uganda is in the process of developing a teacher’s service commission. 

A few organizations aim to capture education policies on specific themes across countries, including Uganda. UNESCO’s  Profiles Enhancing Education Reviews (PEER) covering the themes of the Global Education Monitoring reports, including:  inclusion in education (2020 Report),  non-state actors in education (2021/22 Report),  technology in education (2023 Report) and leadership in education (2024/25 Report, forthcoming). PEER also covers additional topics on key SDG 4 issues, including  financing for equity ,  climate change communication and education , and  comprehensive sexuality education . 

Knowledge Repositories

Only a few links to the literature on education by theme for Uganda, Africa, and globally were provided earlier to keep the brief short, but repositories of digital resources facilitate access to the literature. A few of those repositories are listed below by alphabetical order:

• 3ie Development Evidence Portal (DEP): DEP is a repository of rigorous evidence on what works in international development, including in the area of  education . 
• AERD : The African Education  Research Database hosted by the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge collates research by African scholars on education.
• African Development Bank: The Bank has  publications that cover a range of topics, including education. It also hosts  ADEA which also has selected  publications . 
• Global Partnership for Education:  GPE is one of the largest funders for education in Africa. It collaborates with Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) to build and mobilize evidence on education through the Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (GPE KIX), which has a Library of research outputs. 
• J-PAL: The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab maintains a database of impact evaluations and policy publications, quite a few of which are about education.
• RePEc: Research Papers in Economics is a large archive of research on economics, including the economics of education. It can be searched through  IDEAS .
• Teacher Task Force (TTF): The TTF is collaborative across many organizations hosted by UNESCO. It maintains a  Knowledge Hub with resources on teacher policies. 
• UNESCO HQ: UNESCO is the lead agency in the UN systems on education. Its  Digital Library includes  UNESCO Open Access which includes most UNESCO publications. 
• UNESCO GEM : UNESCO publishes annually a Global Education Monitoring Report on a different theme each year with associated resources and background papers.
• UNESCO IICBA: IICBA is a Category 1 Institute at UNESCO. It conducts research on education in Africa with several publication series and maintains a digital repository.
• UNICEF: Publications can be found under  Reports , the  Office of Global Insight and Policy , and the  Office of Research . Also of interest is the  Data Must Speak initiative.
• World Bank: The  Open Knowledge Repository provides access to the Bank’s research. It includes a section on  Africa with country pages including for Uganda. 

Many organizations maintain websites that include country pages with useful information. Examples include the  GPE Uganda Country Page ;  World Bank Uganda Country Page ;  UNESCO IIEP Country Page . Many organizations also maintain blogs on education issues, often with stories on Africa. Examples include  Education for All (Global Partnership for Education),  Education for Global Development (World Bank),  Education Plus Development (Brookings Institutions), and  World Education Blog (UNESCO). Beyond blogs focusing on education, blogs on Africa more generally may also provide useful resources. This includes  Africa Can End Poverty and  Nasikiliza (the World Bank’s two blogs for sub-Saharan Africa ) and  Arab Voices (the Bank’s blog for the Middle East and North Africa).

It is often useful to download data for Uganda and other countries from multi-country databases. The largest database on development, including education data, is the World Bank’s  World Development Indicators (WDI). The World Bank also maintain the  Education Statistics (EdStats) database. Both World Bank databases rely in part for education on data from the  UNESCO Institute of Statistics . UNESCO also maintains the  Global Education Observatory and the  World Inequality Database in Education (WIDE), as well as a wide range of  other databases . Specific estimates are occasionally maintained by other agencies. For example,  UNICEF provides data on out-of-school rates, adjusted net attendance rates, completion rates, foundational learning skills, information communication technology skills, youth and adult literacy rates, and school-age digital connectivity. Another useful reference is  StatCompiler which provides data at various levels of aggregation from Demographic and Health Surveys across countries and over time, including Uganda. For comparison purposes, data from the  OECD for member and partner countries (including South Africa) can be useful.

References are available through the links provided in this brief. 

What does it mean to be ‘educated’? In Uganda it’s not just schooling that counts

Senior Lecturer, University of East Anglia

PhD student, University of East Anglia

Disclosure statement

Fieldwork was funded by a Mid-Career Fellowship from the British Academy (MD170053) and a further grant also from the British Academy (YF190162). I would like to thank Stella Aguti, Joseph Ochana, Sarah Amongin, and Joel Ekaun Hannington for their support in collecting data and debating the research findings.

Lucy Njogu does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

University of East Anglia provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK.

View all partners

How do you gauge whether someone is educated or not? In many parts of the world, the answer relates to the level of formal qualifications they achieve when they are young – do they have a university degree? In what subject and from what institution?

This appeals to the sense that education is something earned and to the belief that schools and universities have the authority to say who is (and who is not) educated. It’s also how economists and social scientists define someone’s education level and link that to what their health and social outcomes might be later in life.

However, as journalist Vanessa Friedman has written in the New York Times, educational status can change because of the clothes you wear. She uses two examples – a jacket worn by the fictional protagonist of the 1999 film The Talented Mr Ripley and the outfits worn by disgraced US politician George Santos , a look she calls the “uniform of preppy private-school boys everywhere”. He worked hard, she argues, to appear more credentialed than he was.

These characters, one fictional and one real, are con artists. But they make an important point about the way being educated is not a settled status. It is something that can be worked on in various ways, including through the clothes one wears.

We are researchers involved in a project exploring young people’s futures in rural Uganda. As part of this, Ben – an anthropologist – conducted a study to understand what young men and women do with their education in the absence of white collar jobs.

We found many women and men, of different ages, continuing to work on their claims to an educated identity throughout their lives. They do this by wearing the right clothes, but also by joining committees, being active in church, speaking what is considered the right sort of English, and presenting their arguments in the “logical” way that those with a good education have been trained in.

These people are not Tom Ripleys or George Santoses. They are doing what they do because being seen as educated has benefits. In this part of Uganda, educated people tend to prevail in disputes and fare better with various authorities; they are also more likely to benefit from government and NGO schemes.

This shows that people can work on their educational status throughout life, and that much of the work of being educated is only indirectly tied to the schooling experience. Policymakers miss this point. They assume that formal qualifications are the best measure of educational status. But “being educated” is not only about the credentials you have: it is also about how others credential you.

Ivan and Florence

Oledai is a rural sub-parish of about 180 households near the trading centre of Ngora, in eastern Uganda. Though English is the language of instruction from the late stages of primary school, Ateso is the most spoken language. Residents engage in a mix of farm work and petty trading; some run businesses to make a living. A small number have salaried employment, typically as school teachers. There is a difference in how young and older people work on their educational status that reflects the fact that very few older people had the opportunity to go to secondary school.

If you ask a resident in the village to take you to the home of an educated person, you might we be directed to Ivan Onai’s grass thatched house. Ivan is in his late 20s; a born-again Christian who is fluent in English. He listens to the BBC World Service to cultivate his vocabulary.

Always well turned out, Ivan serves as a youth counsellor at the sub-county and runs a youth group in the village. Though Ivan dropped out of school after his A-levels, he has cultivated the identity of a university graduate through his manners, political career and committee work. Many feel he is more educated than some of his better-credentialed peers.

Florence Akol, meanwhile, is in her early 40s and went to school at a time when educating daughters was less of a priority in Uganda than it is today . She completed only two years of primary education, but went on to raise two daughters who both attended university. Through them she has learned English. She is also treasurer of the village council and treasurer of her clan.

These stories illustrate how schools and universities throughout Uganda are important not only as places where certificates are handed out but also as referents against which ideas of “being educated” circulate more widely in society.

The experience of schooling matters as much as the practices it teaches – committee skills, competence in English, the carrying of books and pens. Committee work requires an understanding of procedure, an ability to do bookwork and, often, a degree of confidence in spoken English.

The benefit of perceptions

The wider community often discussed what made someone educated. One older woman, part of a group trying to raise money for school fees, told us that education “trims your manners and helps you think differently” and that “being educated” helped in managing disputes and getting a favourable outcome in the village court.

This could be observed as the community mobilised around the “parish fund”, a new government initiative meant to help its citizens, or the president’s Emyooga scheme targeting youth. Those appointed to positions of influence were more educated than the average, and those in committee positions had the capacity to monopolise how the funds would be allocated.

Policy implications

We believe that understanding these dynamics is key for policymakers and researchers, who (in Uganda and many other parts of the continent) define educational status through the formal qualifications a person has. They focus on the health or social benefits that come from “human capital”.

We would encourage policymakers to rethink how education is understood so that it comes to be defined as an accredited status – how people evaluate you – as well as a credentialed one – the papers you carry in your pocket.

Investing in areas that shape accreditation would be a way of helping more people access opportunities. In Oledai this might mean offering evening classes to help adults improve their skills in spoken English, or giving people access to training in the sort of bookwork that committees value.

• East Africa
• Adult learning
• Lifelong learning
• English langauge
• Africa Education
• George Santos

Want to write?

Write an article and join a growing community of more than 182,200 academics and researchers from 4,941 institutions.

Register now

Education in Uganda: Unlocking the future potential

Young people can help in designing tools for inclusive homeschooling and also train others to navigate through technological gaps in education in Uganda says Felix Onan Olindi

The President of Uganda closed all schools and educational institutions in 2020 owing to the raging pandemic. To me, this marked the beginning of a systematic death of a generation. 

It seemed like our leaders did not appreciate Nelson Mandela’s perception of education . He believed that education was the greatest tool for the transformation of any nation, with Uganda not excluded.

Whilst the reason for the closing was obvious- to stop the spread of the COVID-19, our elders forgot that there was a more dangerous virus killing our generation. This virus is illiteracy. 

In Uganda, only one in four children who start primary school makes it to secondary school. Even when 90 per cent of children attend primary school, only about 40 per cent are literate at the end of primary school while less than 25 per cent complete secondary school.

This disparity contributes to continued poverty, as those without a secondary education have lower chances of pursuing careers.

Education is power.

Education can give citizens knowledge, skills and confidence to build a better future. With it, they can be better and responsible citizens, who can ably and meaningfully contribute to nation-building. 

In Uganda, many people are competing for a limited number of good jobs, and without a decent education, it is very hard to get one or have the confidence to initiate your own business instead. This makes education very necessary for a developing country like Uganda.

President Museveni has always traded the narrative of development especially through Vision 2040 . But lest I be misguided, will the illiterate populace appreciate this development? It is also important to note that even when classes have resumed in January 2022, the effects of lengthy school closures do not disappear overnight. 

If hundreds of young girls can get married during the third term holiday, a two month period, how sure are we that hundreds of young people did not give up on their dream, circumstantially got married or contemplated other dire options like a suicide after schools were closed?

Irreversible impacts of school closures.

According to UNFPA Uganda , a total of 354,736 teenage pregnancies were registered in 2020, and 196,499 in the first six months of 2021. When many of these girls get pregnant, their mental well-being is at stake.

Almost all of these girls confess to having been traumatised after realising that they are pregnant, and waking up to rejection by their families and the men responsible for these pregnancies. In the worst-case scenarios, they think of suicide as a relief. This statistical presentation is a saddening epilogue to the pandemic.

From mid-June 2021, nearly 15 million pre-primary, primary and secondary school children were locked out of school. Inclusive of 2020, some children lost over a year of school learning years. The situation was worsened by the fact that many children did not have access to alternative learning opportunities via radio, television, the Internet, and community/home-based interventions.

Even with the reopening of schools in January, many children, especially from the most deprived families have not been able to return to school due to COVID induced financial constraints.

The majority of the children were not learning at home even when they had access to alternative learning methods. According to a UNICEF Uganda report, it was estimated that only 10 per cent of primary and secondary school children had access to some form of alternative schooling. This shows the gap widened by these alternatives. Owing to the gap, numerous kids went on the streets and started doing odd jobs. Others got lost in drugs and a loose lifestyle.

The Summit of the Future must deliver for young people everywhere

It seemed that was the life our leaders were comfortable having these kids live without realising their potential.

At one instance, the President said ‘school administrators were interested in money more than life’ which was ironic, and sardonically laughable. When has money ever replaced the facility and need for life? It was an open accusation that these people who groom our nation walk in and attest to naked villainy. 

Addressing the technological gap.

Closing schools is never the best solution as it does not protect the interests of young people. However, when school closure is required to protect the well-being of people, it should have been done after addressing the digital and technological gaps in learning. 

In such dire times, leaders must invest in ensuring that every citizen can at least use the internet since the world is going digital. This will make learning more inclusive, and fascinating for the learner’s themselves. 

Leaders can not do this alone, they have to engage the very young people that these initiatives are meant to serve. 

Young people can help in designing tools for inclusive homeschooling and also train fellow young people on how to navigate the technological difficulties in these initiatives. They need to be empowered, to be given a voice, to be listened to.

Photo by Roman Mager on Unsplash

Felix Onan Olindi is a 19-year-old Ugandan Climate and literacy activist. Until recently, he was working on the Youth Futures Project, a collaborative research study between Restless Development and Cambridge University that is investigating the impacts of climate change on the working lives of young people in Uganda. He is a writer, poet and speaker. He believes that words can change the world and encourages the use of arts to call for public action towards climate change.

Power your creative ideas with pixel-perfect design and cutting-edge technology. Create your beautiful website with Zeen now.

• Citizenship
• Civil Society & Volunteering
• Environment
• Employment, Economics & Innovation
• Write for us!

• Australia edition
• International edition
• Europe edition

Uganda offers an important lesson in education

In 1997 Uganda introduced free and universal primary education. Enrolment rose from 2 million to 7 million by 2000 and the country's achievement was touted around the world as a great development success story.

However, it was evident from very early on that finding extra, well-qualified teachers in a country where 50% of the population is under the age of 15 was going to be a challenge, as was providing the infrastructure to match the sudden increase in student numbers.   And so it has turned out . Student pass rates have fallen and rates of transition to secondary school are also sliding. As standards fall in public education, a social divide is emerging between the public and private sectors, with private schools being regarded as offering a significantly better education. According to Lawrence Bategeka, from the Economic Policy Research Centre, a Ugandan thinktank, around 90% of current university students in Uganda were taught in private schools. Moreover, as private schooling is not profitable in rural areas, the urban-rural divide is opening up as well.

Many governments have to make a trade off between universality of provision and standards. It is easy to provide quality education just to a select elite, as happened in many wealthy countries until around 100 years ago.

I asked Bategeka whether it was a mistake to open the school gates to millions more children when Uganda was obviously not ready to teach them. Wouldn't it have been more sensible to increase enrolment more gradually, in line with the realistic possibilities of infrastructural and teacher development?

Bategeka thinks the policy could have been implemented better, but he does not believe it was a mistake to introduce it. Despite the inevitable concerns about standards, there are still millions of children attending school who otherwise wouldn't have been, which means they are learning, and that the culture of universal education is being ingrained into society for the first time, he says. On the back of the policy, the Ugandan government has now introduced universal secondary education to encourage more pupils to continue their schooling.

Uganda offers an important lesson in development. Sometimes taking a radical, and un-costed, step will be reckless and lead to financial problems and even disaster. But sometimes doing so constitutes the kind of historic leadership required of a head of state, not throwing caution to the wind, but refusing to wait until all the elements are perfectly in place before thrusting a country forward. Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni did it in 1997 and, for all the problems, I imagine the country is grateful.

• Global development
• Poverty matters blog
• Aid and development

Comments (…)

Most viewed.

• Education Statistics

Education Statistics (EdStats)

• High contrast
• UNICEF in Uganda
• Our representative
• Work with us
• Press centre

Search UNICEF

0B792406-3C90-48E8-AF22-4D48618D699F Created with sketchtool.

Quality of basic education

Having access to clean water helps me concentrate in school.

UNICEF, Iceland commission water facility in Northern Uganda

Uganda tracks schools for better services

Sustaining the gains in the Education sector

Files available for download (1).

Adolescents reclaim their right to education.

Reimagining Education: Increasing access to digital learning

Sustaining the gains in the education sector

Rescuing dreams amid a cholera outbreak in Namayingo

Uganda Economic Update: Higher Investment in Education is Key to Developing Human Capital, Sustaining Strong Economic Growth

KAMPALA, June 7, 2019 – Uganda’s economy grew at 6.4 percent in the first half of FY2018/19, up from 6.1 percent in FY2017/18, according to the latest edition of the Uganda Economic Update released by the World Bank today.

The report, “ Economic Development and Human Capital in Uganda: A Case for Investing More in Education , ” attributes growth to stronger investment and higher demand for goods and services, favorable weather conditions and strengthened credit. However, rapid population growth means that real per capita growth is 3.1 percent, which is not enough to achieve rapid socio-economic transformation. Moreover, heavy reliance on rain-fed agriculture makes gross domestic product (GDP) and exports more volatile, with disproportionate costs for the poor.

The growth forecast for 2020 remains positive at over 6 percent, driven by anticipated public and private investments, especially to support developments in the energy and oil sectors. However, as the 2021 elections draw closer, heightened political activity and uncertainty could lead to a drop-in investment and economic activity. Prioritizing public spending more effectively, improving spending execution rates, and increasing revenue mobilization would maintain Uganda’s macroeconomic stability and ensure that public debt is sustainable. Investing in productive sectors that can drive growth and jobs, such as agriculture is critical for making growth more inclusive.

The special section of the 13th Uganda Economic Update (UEU), examines the benefits of increasing public spending on education to achieve higher levels of human capital, reduce poverty and boost the economic growth. A child born in Uganda today will only be 38 percent as productive when she grows up as she could be if she enjoyed complete education and full health as Human Capital Index (HCI) suggests. Uganda’s low ranking in the HCI is mainly due to the country’s low education outcomes. Indeed, a child in Uganda completes 7 years of education by age 18, compared to 8.1 for their regional counterparts. However, actual years of learning are only 4.5, with the 2.5 years considered ‘wasted’ due to poor quality of education. For instance, only 6 percent of children in Uganda can read a paragraph at the end of the fourth grade.   New policies and higher public investments are needed to improve this performance.

 “ If Uganda’s population continues to grow at the current rate, the percentage of children going to school will equally go down regardless of investment from the World Bank and other development partners. Turning around this situation requires additional resources and implementing key reforms that would put at least a million children in school and improve the quality of learning which would generate significant both savings and human capital gains for Uganda ,” said Tony Thompson, World Bank Country Manager for Uganda.

At 2.6 percent of GDP, Uganda’s current budget expenditure on education is the lowest in the region compared to Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi which spend between 3.2% and 5.2%.

About $2 billion of additional public funds are required till 2025 to ensure that all children complete primary schools and acquire basic literacy, numeracy and skills. An additional one million places are needed in lower secondary schools to accommodate this additional intake. These significant financial needs might be halved to $1 billion if solid education system improvement measures are implemented in line with best international experience. Such measures include providing better pre-primary learning opportunities for poor children, eliminating repetition and drop outs, reducing number of subjects taught at secondary schools, optimizing teacher workload, building lower secondary schools in a sustainable manner and increasing value for money from significant private resources already invested in education.

To close the remaining deficit, the Update recommends increasing public spending on education from current 10 percent of the national budget to the regional average of 16 percent by 2025.

“ An educated population can help reduce income inequality, promote social mobility and foster social cohesion ,” said Richard Walker, World Bank Senior Economist and author of the report.

• PUBLICATION: Uganda Economic Update: Investing $2 Billion Will Put One Million More Children in School
• The World Bank in Uganda
• The World Bank in Africa

10 Important Facts to Know About Education in Uganda

10 Facts About Education in Uganda

• In 2011, Uganda joined the Global Partnership for Education , an organization that creates access to education in developing countries. Since then, the nation has launched initiatives on everything from helping girls stay in school while menstruating to guaranteeing education for refugees.
• Indeed, education is a key element in eliminating poverty in Uganda . It’s no wonder that the national adult literacy rate rose from 68.1 percent in 2002 to 73.8 percent in 2015—and the literacy rate among youth soars at 87 percent.
• Though 90 percent of children attend primary school, that drops below 25 percent in secondary school due to facility shortages. This disparity contributes to continued poverty, as those without a secondary education have lower chances of pursuing careers.
• Space is a major factor in the future of education in Uganda, especially in the face of conflict in Sudan. Uganda accommodates more than one million refugees, more than half of whom are children.
• Last year, Bidi Bidi became the world’s largest refugee settlement, with around 270,000 occupants. The people of Uganda are as passionate about keeping others safe as they are about educating them—but to excel at both, the nation must implement plans to find a balance between the two.
• Though Uganda highly values education, some internal issues have stunted its growth. Funding is a key issue. Uganda relies largely on international aid when it comes to supporting refugees’ basic needs—but, so far, the U.N. has obtained just 14 percent of the $781 million it requested to funnel into resources for Sudanese refugees, including education.
• Teacher absenteeism is another barrier to education growth in burgeoning Uganda. Due to low and delayed pay, many teachers are forced to take on additional jobs, and classrooms are often left without distinct leaders—which isn’t surprising, given that the nation’s youth outnumber its adults.
• The Ugandan government and Promoting Equality in African Schools (PEAS) are working to dismantle these inefficiencies in the education system. The groups have launched an initiative to assess and correct the quality of education and school management in 21 schools.
• The initiative plans to refine curriculum and teaching standards but first requires some basic resources—including a reliable source of electricity.
• While the steps necessary to improve education in Uganda may seem staggering, the cause looks brighter every day. Last month, a refugee solidarity summit held in Kampala garnered $358.2 million in pledges, which will provide resources for education.

Though the cracks are beginning to show in the school system, passionate citizens and government officials refuse to let it crumble. With concerted efforts, education in Uganda can continue growing in size, scope and merit.

– Madeline Forwerck

Photo: Flickr

“The Borgen Project is an incredible nonprofit organization that is addressing poverty and hunger and working towards ending them.”

-The Huffington Post

Inside the borgen project.

• Board of Directors

Get Smarter

• Global Poverty 101
• Global Poverty… The Good News
• Global Poverty & U.S. Jobs
• Global Poverty and National Security
• Innovative Solutions to Poverty
• Global Poverty & Aid FAQ’s

Ways to Help

• Call Congress
• Email Congress
• 30 Ways to Help
• Volunteer Ops
• Internships
• The Podcast

Uganda makes strides in the implementation of the National Teacher Policy

The Uganda National Teacher Policy (NTP) was approved and launched in October 2019. The aim of the policy is to provide a framework to professionalize and standardize the teaching profession and enhance the development and management of teachers. The government, through the NTP, recognizes teaching as a profession and emphasizes that teachers, school leaders, educators and trainers all play a collective and central role in preparing the future generation. The NTP has prescribed an elaborate implementation strategy, and defined the national entities that are central in the implementation of the policy. One such entity is the Uganda National Institute for Teacher Education (UNITE). A national taskforce has been appointed by the Minster of Education to fast track the establishment of UNITE. Upon formation, UNITE will be a specialized higher education institution in Uganda for Teacher Education and will have the mandate to supervise teacher education programmes in other higher education institutions in the country.

UNESCO, under the Norwegian Teacher Initiative (NTI) Project, supported the MoES and convened a 3-day (10th – 13th June 2021) retreat of the national taskforce to develop the strategic documents for the establishment and governance of UNITE, align UNITE governance policies and programmes to the strategic plan of the MoES, the National Development Plan (NDP), the Uganda vision 2040 and the Global Education 2030 Agenda.

While opening the 3-day retreat, Dr. Jane Egau, Director of the Teacher Education and Training (TET), commended UNESCO for being an important partner in the education sector in Uganda. She urged the taskforce to do an excellent job because the public has picked interest in the establishment of UNITE and expectations are high.

The UNESCO Project Officer in-charge of the NTI project in Uganda, Ismail Banduga, noted that as the designated UN Agency to coordinate the Education 2030 Agenda, UNESCO strives to work with Member States in their efforts to realize the aspirations and targets set under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.

The retreat ended with drafts of three key strategic documents developed. These are UNITE Strategic Plan, a finance manual and a human resource manual.  The Coordinator of the taskforce, Ms. Caroline Kavuma, gave assurance that the taskforce will do all it takes to have UNITE programmes approved by the regulatory body, the National Council of Higher Education (NCHE), by end of 2021.

Related items

• Priority Africa
• Country page: Uganda
• UNESCO Office in Nairobi and Regional Bureau for Science
• SDG: SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
• See more add

This article is related to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals .

More on this subject

Other recent articles

• Girls Education in Uganda

by lsj3430 | Aug 9, 2021 | GlobeMed , Social Justice , Uganda | 0 comments

Image caption : Living facilities for girls aged 13-19 at the Give Her a Chance Orphanage are currently under construction.

By Esther Cha, ’24

While thousands of children in the United States reluctantly drag themselves out of bed every morning to go to school, many Ugandan girls go through life without ever having the opportunity to step into a classroom. For many of us who take the privilege of a quality education for granted, this may seem like a “dream come true.” However, in Uganda it is only one of the many forms of discrimination that girls and women face in Uganda.

In Uganda, girls and women have a distinctly lower social status than men. This gender inequality often limits female participation in formal and informal institutions such as family, marriage, and religion. Put simply, Ugandan women have very little power to make their own decisions, acquire a profitable job, and be independent. Though education may be a partial means of escape from the patriarchal system, the high poverty rates are a substantial barrier to female education. Many girls are forced to drop out of school to pursue income-generating activities for the household or are married off in exchange for a dowry. Recent data shows that only 53% of girls aged 6-12 are reported to complete the required seven years of primary education, and merely 22.5% of the female Ugandan population as a whole enroll in secondary education. 

The male-dominated society in Uganda also poses problems for girls who are able to pursue an education. Despite implementing free, universal primary education in 1997, Ugandan facilities and teaching styles remain unaccommodating to female students. The lack of security, privacy, and sanitation exposes girls to sexual assault as well as creates difficulties for them to attend school while menstruating. Moreover, girls are often explicitly discouraged from attending school. Female students are often portrayed as promiscuous, and the idea that education is only for boys eventually decreases female participation and attendance. At home, Ugandan girls and women are responsible for domestic labor, leaving little time to complete assigned homework. Ultimately, free education remains ironically inaccessible to Ugandan girls, highlighting the need for female support. 

The many obstacles that prevent Ugandan girls and women from obtaining education have drawn local and global attention over the years. Many non-profit organizations focus their efforts on the gender disparities in the Ugandan education system. Give Her a Chance is a project developed by the Adonai Centre in Uganda to support female secondary students studying at cost-effective secondary schools within the Nakiragala and Buddo communities. The Give Her a Chance Project offers accommodation, mentoring, and financial support for girls into adulthood. This project emphasizes the importance of education and life skill development in creating well-prepared individuals that are ready to support their future families and communities. To learn more about or aid the Give Her a Chance Project, visit this link .

Esther Cha is a member of the class of 2024, majoring in neuroscience and psychology. She joined GlobeMed at the beginning of her freshman year, and she looks forward to continuing her active involvement in the next three years.

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Recent Posts

• Uganda’s Ongoing Fight Against COVID-19
• The Arts in Healthcare in Uganda
• COVID 19 Vaccine: Fact or Fiction

Sponsor a Child

833 264-4674

[email protected]

The Current State of Rural Education in Uganda

Uganda's Educational Landscape: A Glimpse into Rural and Urban Areas

In the heart of East Africa lies Uganda, a nation renowned for its diverse cultures and landscapes. Yet, beneath this vibrant facade, the quality of education in its rural areas contrasts starkly with that in urban areas. While places like the United States boast state-of-the-art learning facilities, many schools in Uganda , particularly in rural regions, face fundamental challenges.

Classroom Realities: From Infrastructure to Learning Materials

Imagine a classroom not in a well-lit building but under a tree's shade. This is not fiction but a reality for a large number of Ugandan children . The absence of proper infrastructure means many students study in makeshift environments, vulnerable to the elements. When rain clouds gather, lessons halt, and students head home. Such conditions, prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, hardly seem conducive to learning. Moreover, the scarcity of essential learning materials further hampers the education outcomes .

Universal Primary Education (UPE): A Beacon of Hope with Challenges

The Universal Primary Education (UPE) initiative, launched in 1997, was Uganda's ambitious step to improve education access for all children. The result? A surge in student enrollment . Enrolment rates leaped from 35% to over 95% in mere decades. However, while enrollment rates soared, the quality of education and the availability of learning materials struggled to match pace.

Teacher Training: The Cornerstone of Quality Education

Teacher training is pivotal in shaping the education opportunities available to students. While there's an abundance of passion among educators in rural Uganda, there's a pressing need for comprehensive training programs. Well-trained teachers can significantly enhance education outcomes , ensuring students not only attend school but also benefit from a high-quality education, akin to standards in more developed regions.

High School in Rural Uganda: A Unique Experience

The high school experience in rural Uganda presents its own set of challenges. The introduction of Universal Secondary Education marked progress, but hurdles remain. Overcrowded classrooms, a dearth of desks, and inadequate facilities can impede learning. Yet, the resilience of Ugandan students shines, highlighting the indomitable spirit of East Africa.

Local Communities: The Unsung Heroes of Uganda's Education System

Local communities play an instrumental role in the education landscape. Their involvement can bridge the resource gap, ensuring schools receive the support they need. Community-driven initiatives, prevalent in many parts of East Africa, can equip schools with learning materials, bolster infrastructure, and even facilitate teacher training programs.

Conclusion: Charting the Path Forward for Ugandan Children

While challenges are manifold, the determination of Ugandan students and educators is commendable. They underscore the importance of continued efforts to uplift the quality of education in both rural and urban areas. Collaborative endeavors between the government, local communities, and international organizations can pave the way for a brighter educational future for Uganda's children.

Learn more about the state of education in East Africa Discover how local communities are making a difference in Uganda Explore the impact of teacher training on education outcomes

Categories 

From Boreholes to Blackboards: Amigos' Analytics in Humanitarian Aid

Soap Crafting Hope: Amigos Internacionales' Visionary Class for Refugees

9 Essential Ways to Empower Orphaned Children in Africa Through Sponsorship

Quenching Thirst with Clean Water: The Transformative Power of African Water Wells

Changing Lives: Sponsorship Organizations-Change Agents

The Courageous Journey of Peter: A Story of Resilience and Faith

Empowering Future Generations: Bridging the Gap with Orphan Education in Africa

Together We Can Make a Difference: Feeding Starving African Children

Missionpoint Initiatives: A Holistic Approach to Church Community Building in Uganda

Quenching Thirst, Transforming Lives: The Significance of Affordable Water Well Drilling in South Sudan

Understanding the Cycle of Poverty and Education in Rural African Schools

Martin Otum

Social media.

Empowering Communities with Missionpoint's Crisis Intervention Strategies

Empowering Marginalized Societies Through Education: The Critical Role of School Construction

Empowering Refugees Through Crisis Intervention and Life-skills Support

Importance of feeding programs in impoverished countries

Missionpoint: Building Churches and Communities in Uganda

Sharon's Journey of Resilience: A Missionpoint Testament to Hope and Renewal in Northern Uganda

Reviving Faith in Tanzania: The Rebirth of Ihapa Baptist Church with Amigos Internacionales

Unseen Wounds: Exploring the Effects of Trauma in African Communities

Get our newsletter and see the amazing stories in your inbox each week

Amigos Internacionales, Inc

100 Kings Plaza, Ste. J

Commerce, TX. 75428

1 833 264-4674

[email protected]

Uganda Address:

P. O. Box 569

Gulu, Uganda

[email protected]

Tanzania Address:

P. O. Box 540 

Chibe - Shayanga, Tanzania

[email protected]

Help Us Feed over 7 Million Meals This Year To Needy Children and Expectant Moms in Central America!

All gifts are tax deductible and any contributions totaling more than $500 will receive a statement of giving at the beginning of the next year.   

We are a fully compliant 501(c)3 corporation with the state of Texas and the Federal Government. 

All Rights Reserved | Amigos Internacionales, Inc.

17 Uganda Education Facts (all about education in Uganda today)

Did you know that sending children to school can be too expensive for Ugandan families? Or that lots of teachers in Uganda drop out of school? 

Discover everything through these 17 interesting Uganda education facts ! 🇺🇬 🎓

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Best Facts About School in Uganda

Ugandan school hours, general facts about schooling in uganda, more education facts, the full list of 17 ugandan school facts.

Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa, which means it is not connected to an ocean. It is bordered by Kenya, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Tanzania. Its capital city is Kampala, which has more than 1,680,000 inhabitants (but more than 6,709,000 if you include the metropolitan area!).

An interesting part of the country that I wanted to tackle is its education. In light of that, I have listed my 17 education in Uganda facts, and I hope you will love them:

1. There are three levels and thirteen years in the Ugandan education system

Uganda education system is organized into three levels and thirteen years.

The levels are primary school, lower secondary school, and upper secondary school. They respectively last for 7 years, 4 years, and 2 years. Finally, tertiary education lasts from 3 to 5 years.

2. Primary education is universal since 1997 in Uganda

In 1997, the Ugandan government launched a plan called Universal Primary Education . From then on, it would pay the tuition fees of all orphans and families with up to 4 children.

Thanks to it, the number of students tripled from 1997 to 2014.

3. Ugandan girls are severely disadvantaged compared to their male counterparts

When it comes to education, Ugandan girls are far more disadvantaged than boys. 71.5 percent of them are literate, while this number goes up to 85.3 percent for boys.

This is mostly due to girls dropping out of school very early, and getting married or pregnant.

4. Some initiatives and organizations try to help Ugandan girls

In Uganda, it is unfortunately settled in people’s mindsets that girls need to help their household, get married, and have children. With that, they are trapped in a never-ending circle of the gender gap and lack of consideration.

Some initiatives like GirlUp Initiative Uganda try to help Ugandan girls with their education as much as possible though.

5. Very few Ugandan students complete primary school and carry on to secondary school

Despite enrollment rates being better and better in primary education, completion rates still remain a big problem in the country.

And this is not only an issue for girls: merely 1 out of every 4 students who start primary school make it to secondary school.

6. Ugandan pupils experience serious violence during their education

There are many reasons for Ugandan children to drop out of school early. One of them is violence, and it is a very serious one, sadly.

In fact, around 24 percent of students experience sexual abuse during their education. Others suffer from caning and corporal punishments.

7. Some Ugandan children have no choice but to drop out of school because it is too expensive

Yes, Ugandan primary schools are free… but parents still need to pay for extra fees like transportation and school materials.

Because of this, and considering how poor the country is as a whole, many children have no choice but to drop out of school because fees are too important for their families.

8. Disabled children are neglected in Uganda

Disabled children have a very, very hard time receiving a proper education in Uganda.

More precisely, only 9 percent of children with disabilities enrolled all the way from pre-primary to secondary education. There are simply not enough facilities for them, and special needs teachers are nowhere to be seen.

9. Teacher absenteeism is a tragic problem in Uganda

Not only do Ugandan kids drop out of school quite often, but their teachers are not any better!

This will probably shock you, but approximately 60 percent of teachers are not in class when they should be. A truly tragic problem for the future of the country.

10. There are reasons for Ugandan teachers to be out of class

Sadly, there are many reasons for Ugandan teachers to be absent.

Generally speaking, teachers in the country work too much, with too many children (up to 100 students per classroom!), and largely feel demotivated. On top of this, facilities are either poor, inadequate, or simply non-existent.

11. The Ugandan government spends around 10 percent of its budget on education

Compared to other Sub-Saharan African countries, the Ugandan government spends a low share of its yearly budget on education: only around 10 percent (against 16 percent).

If it would invest more, it could, over a few years, significantly reduce poverty, improve the country’s literacy and give better employment opportunities to students.

12. Uganda is home to hundreds of thousands of migrants

One of the complicated issues that Uganda is trying to solve is to both host migrants and educate them.

While they really want to keep others safe and give them access to education, the country needs more plans for it to work.

13. Early childhood learning and development are vastly compromised in Uganda

While many countries offer early childhood development programs, this is largely compromised in Uganda.

There are not enough pre-schools, and teachers are clearly underqualified. Only 1 out of every 10 children between 3 and 5 years old is enrolled in pre-primary education.

14. Higher education in Uganda is in dire straits

While it used to be better, Uganda higher education is now in a very poor situation.

There are many strikes and protests by students and staff. Pays are late and too low, and safety concerns are on the rise.

15. Improving education in Uganda seems impossible, but it is better every day

With all problems Uganda has to face when it comes to its education system, the situation looks almost impossible to solve.

However, there is still hope: it is getting better every day. For instance, some solidarity summits garner a ton of funds, and more and more organizations are trying to help the country.

16. Uganda vastly relies on international aid for its education funding

The country of Uganda, in theory, thinks education is primordial.

Nevertheless, it is vastly funded by international aid, especially in order to support refugees’ basic needs. The country did not get enough aid yet to be able to implement its plans.

17. Several international organizations try to help Uganda with its education

There are many international organizations, like USAID, UNICEF, and the Global Partnership for Education, that try to help Uganda with its education.

They work with the government to reduce the gender gap in schools, improve access to education as a whole, and build more schools.

So there you have them, these were all my 17 interesting facts about the Uganda school system. I hope you enjoyed them and that you learned something new today.

In case you want to learn more about the rest of the country, feel free to keep reading, as I still have lots of things to tell you about:

Let’s keep going with our next part, dedicated to Ugandan school hours. The typical school schedule in one country can often be very different from your own, and it’s always interesting to have more details on how students go on about their day.

Uganda Primary School Schedule

Uganda uses a 7+4+2 education system, with primary school, lower secondary school, and upper secondary school.

The typical school year runs from February to November. 104 days are dedicated to holidays.

Ugandan children usually wake up at around 6 AM, before cleaning their dormitories and classes, bathing, and getting dressed up in their uniform.

A check-up is made at 6:30 AM, they then eat breakfast and start their lessons at 7:30 AM. Lessons last until 5 PM, and some days have dedicated game time (football, basketball, volleyball, …).

Ugandan High School Schedule

When it comes to secondary education in Uganda, there are 6 years.

Secondary education is not compulsory in Uganda, and some people have access to it tuition-free. The enrollment rates are still pretty low though.

The main studied subjects are Science, Mathematics, English, and physical education, among others.

This last part is dedicated to general facts about schooling in Uganda. More specifically, we’ll check 2 key figures that will give you a better understanding of the education level in Uganda.

Enrollment in tertiary education for Uganda: 4.48%

(Average for regions: Sub-Saharan Africa: 8.6% | South Asia: 20.8% | Arab States: 36.4% | East Asia: 36.5% | Latin America: 43.3% | Europe and Central Asia: 62% | North America: 84%)

Data from World Bank EdStats/UNESCO

Uganda literacy rate: 74%

(Average for regions: Sub-Saharan Africa: 65.3% | South Asia: 72.9% | Arab States: 79.4% | Latin America: 93.7% | East Asia: 95.8% | Europe and Central Asia: 98.5%)

Do you want even more education facts about other countries?

Check out these facts:

• Education in Egypt
• Education in Ethiopia
• Education in Somalia

Or click here to see ALL the education facts up on the blog!

• There are three levels and thirteen years in the education system in Uganda
• Primary education is universal since 1997 in Uganda
• Ugandan girls are severely disadvantaged compared to their male counterparts
• Some initiatives and organizations try to help Ugandan girls
• Very few Ugandan students complete primary school and carry on to secondary school
• Ugandan pupils experience serious violence during their education
• Some Ugandan children have no choice but to drop out of school because it is too expensive
• Disabled children are neglected in Uganda
• Teacher absenteeism is a tragic problem in Uganda
• There are reasons for Ugandan teachers to be out of class
• The Ugandan government spends around 10 percent of its budget on education
• Uganda is home to hundreds of thousands of migrants
• Early childhood learning and development are vastly compromised in Uganda
• Higher education in Uganda is in dire straits
• Improving education in Uganda seems impossible, but it is better every day
• Uganda vastly relies on international aid for its education funding
• Several international organizations try to help Uganda with its education

Share the knowledge! Click on the buttons below to share these facts about education in Uganda with your friends, and help them learn more about the world 🙂

Hey, I'm Kevin

I'm a professional photographer, with over a decade of experience in the travel industry. I worked with countless travel brands, and my travel advice has been featured in major publications such as CNN, Forbes & the New York Magazine. But the best travel advice is definitely found here on my website! I'm all about adventure travel, hiking and exploring the outdoors - even if I often find myself exploring cities with my wife Nesrine. If you have any questions, leave a comment on this post or reach out by email at: [email protected]

Come say hi on social!

Countries I've visited

Recommended Reading

I am writing a book about a school in Gulu, and I would like to discuss education in Uganda with the author of these 17 points. Could you send me the author’s email address?

Not who you wanted but still a very good source Wilber Sempijja Mengo Children’s fund.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  Notify me when new comments are added.

Study highlights importance of caregiver well-being in Uganda

A group-based curriculum called Journey of Life (JoL) — delivered over 12 sessions in the Kiryandongo refugee settlement in Uganda — led to improvements in mental health, social support, parental warmth and attitudes around violence against children, finds a new study from the Brown School.

“This study highlights the crucial role refugee caregivers play in mitigating the impacts of forced displacement on children,” said  Lindsay Stark , a professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and an expert on the protection and well-being of women and children in situations of extreme adversity.

“Caregivers serve as primary buffers against adversity, emphasizing the need to support their mental health and parenting practices,” said Stark, first author of the paper “ Improving psychosocial well-being and parenting practices among refugees in Uganda: Results of the journey of life effectiveness trial ,” published in March in the journal Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health.

“Programs like JoL hold promise for supporting displaced families worldwide,” Stark said. “By prioritizing caregiver mental health and positive parenting, such interventions contribute to the broader recognition of the interconnectedness between caregiver well-being and child health, particularly in contexts of adversity.”

Comments and respectful dialogue are encouraged, but content will be moderated. Please, no personal attacks, obscenity or profanity, selling of commercial products, or endorsements of political candidates or positions. We reserve the right to remove any inappropriate comments. We also cannot address individual medical concerns or provide medical advice in this forum.

You Might Also Like

Latest from the Record

Announcements.

Parking shares April update

McKelvey Engineering offers graduate certificate in financial engineering

Public university directory being phased out

Leath to receive early career award

Treitel installed as Willilam Eliot Smith Professor in History

Baruah named Hugo F. & Ina Champ Urbauer Professor

Philip Needleman, emeritus trustee, longtime benefactor, 85

Amarnath Ghosh, student in Arts & Sciences, 34

Philip E. Cryer, former director of endocrinology division, 84

Research Wire

Global study reveals health impacts of airborne trace elements

WashU to manage data for instrument on Artemis moon mission

The View From Here

Washington people.

Kim Thuy Seelinger

Antonio Douthit-Boyd

Katharine Flores

Who Knew WashU?

Who Knew WashU? 1.27.21

Who Knew WashU? 1.13.21

Who Knew WashU? 12.9.20

share this!

April 19, 2024

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

fact-checked

trusted source

Study highlights importance of caregiver well-being in Uganda

by Neil Schoenherr, Washington University in St. Louis

A group-based curriculum called Journey of Life (JoL)—delivered over 12 sessions in the Kiryandongo refugee settlement in Uganda—led to improvements in mental health, social support, parental warmth and attitudes around violence against children, finds a new study from the Brown School.

"This study highlights the crucial role refugee caregivers play in mitigating the impacts of forced displacement on children," said Lindsay Stark, a professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and an expert on the protection and well-being of women and children in situations of extreme adversity.

"Caregivers serve as primary buffers against adversity, emphasizing the need to support their mental health and parenting practices," said Stark, first author of the paper "Improving psychosocial well-being and parenting practices among refugees in Uganda: Results of the journey of life effectiveness trial," published in March in the journal Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health .

"Programs like JoL hold promise for supporting displaced families worldwide," Stark said. "By prioritizing caregiver mental health and positive parenting, such interventions contribute to the broader recognition of the interconnectedness between caregiver well-being and child health , particularly in contexts of adversity."

Provided by Washington University in St. Louis

Explore further

Feedback to editors

Liquid droplets shape how cells respond to change, shows study

2 hours ago

Rice bran nanoparticles show promise as affordable and targeted anticancer agent

3 hours ago

Advance in forensic fingerprint research provides new hope for cold cases

How spicy does mustard get depending on the soil?

Electron videography captures moving dance between proteins and lipids

New findings shed light on how bella moths use poison to attract mates

AI tool creates 'synthetic' images of cells for enhanced microscopy analysis

Announcing the birth of QUIONE, a unique analog quantum processor

4 hours ago

World's oases threatened by desertification, even as humans expand them

5 hours ago

NASA's Voyager 1 resumes sending engineering updates to Earth

Relevant physicsforums posts, biographies, history, personal accounts.

22 hours ago

Interesting anecdotes in the history of physics?

Cover songs versus the original track, which ones are better.

Apr 21, 2024

History of Railroad Safety - Spotlight on current derailments

For ww2 buffs.

Apr 20, 2024

Who is your favorite Jazz musician and what is your favorite song?

Apr 19, 2024

More from Art, Music, History, and Linguistics

Related Stories

Adversity accelerates epigenetic aging in children with developmental delays, but positive parenting can reverse course

Dec 4, 2023

For children struggling with extreme adversity, social support and community cohesion are keys to recovery

Aug 4, 2022

Grandparents can have a major impact on a mom's mental health, study says

Mar 25, 2024

Research highlights importance of support reciprocity during early-stage dementia care

Mar 23, 2024

When COVID-19 disrupts multi-child families, one sibling is affected more

Jan 27, 2022

Adverse mental health symptoms up during pandemic for parents, caregivers

Jun 25, 2021

Recommended for you

Many prisoners go years without touching a smartphone—it means they struggle to navigate life on the outside

Data-driven music: Converting climate measurements into music

Apr 18, 2024

Researchers find lower grades given to students with surnames that come later in alphabetical order

Apr 17, 2024

Study reveals how humanity could unite to address global challenges

Apr 16, 2024

Are the world's cultures growing apart?

Apr 10, 2024

Building footprints could help identify neighborhood sociodemographic traits

Let us know if there is a problem with our content.

Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form . For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines ).

Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request

Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors.

Your feedback is important to us. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages.

E-mail the story

Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose. The information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Phys.org in any form.

Newsletter sign up

Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time and we'll never share your details to third parties.

More information Privacy policy

Donate and enjoy an ad-free experience

We keep our content available to everyone. Consider supporting Science X's mission by getting a premium account.

E-mail newsletter