Education Sector Profile in Uganda

Education Sector profile in Uganda

Education sector is crucial sector for the development of the economy as it equips Ugandans with the necessary skills and knowledge for effective performance in both business and work places.

Characteristics of the sector

  • Education sector in Uganda is one of the most robust with good export potential
  • The private sector participation is encouraged in the education sector
  • The sector has attracted international students contributing to the national export earning
  • Enrolment in the education sector tends to be driven by students quest for good, affordable and competitive schools in the region
  • The private sector owns about 58% of secondary schools.
  • Government owns about 30%  of secondary schools

Education system
The Education Sector in Uganda which was liberalized some time ago has government and the private sector as the key players. The sector has both formal and non-formal educational institutions spanning all educational levels. Uganda has the following levels of education:

  1. Pre-primary;
  2. Primary;
  3. Secondary;
  4. Business; Technical and Vocational Education and Training (BTVET); and
  5. Higher Education levels.

The sector includes public, private and community Physical Education and Sports institutions. It has multiple objectives including the transmission of general and applied knowledge, as well as skills development.

Formal education system
Uganda has a formal education system based on a 7-4-2 formula.  Formal education starts with seven years of primary education followed by four years of O Level secondary and two years of A Level secondary education. The A level secondary education is followed by a 3-5 years of University level education. This structure has been in existence since the country achieved political independence in 1962.

At each level of the education system, the country produces a number of graduates but the numbers are reducing as one goes up the formal system due to a number of reasons including challenges of affordability and limited capacity intake of   education establishments of higher learning.

Non-formal education system
The non-formal education system grooms people to become socially acceptable and responsible adults. The first transfer of knowledge and skills is done at home where children are taught to carry out various activities including cooking, cleanliness, building, ethics, gardening, respect for elders and discipline among others. The non-formal education is about the education, learning and training which take place outside recognized educational institutions.

Current national priorities in Education sector

  • Provision of universal primary and secondary education
  • Sensitization of population about UPE and USE in order that communities fully participate in the implementation
  • Provision of construction materials for primary, secondary schools and tertiary institutions
  • Improvement of teacher training programmes and rehabilitation of teachers colleges
  • Making the teacher central in the education system by creating a well trained, facilitated and disciplined teachers
  • Improving the teaching of science, mathematics, technical and technology education at all levels
  • Review and reform of the examination in order to incorporate continuous assessment

Key strength of Uganda’s Education Sector

  • Quality of education at all levels is high and keeps improving
  • Uganda has a low cost of student’s maintenance due to low costs of living in the region
  • Excellent curricula and demand driven unique courses
  • Competitive and affordable tuition fees
  • English is used as medium of instruction/teachings at all levels of education within the country
  • High moral values incubated at all levels of the education
  • Ugandans are very friendly people making easy for foreign students to cope up

Education demand by foreign students
Uganda’s education sector attracts students mostly from neighbouring countries of Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Sudan and Burundi.

Challenges in the Education sector
The challenges facing the education sector include the following:

  • Weak institutional alignment
  • Inadequate budgetary resources
  • Capacity gap in Education sector
  • Inadequate infrastructure
  • Inadequate sports facilities

The information on education sector profile is organized as follows