Buganda has highest number of schools — Report

KAMPALA - Buganda region has emerged as Uganda’s dominant education hub, accounting for the highest number of schools across pre-primary, primary and secondary levels, according to findings from the 2025 Baseline Education Census (BEC).

The report, released on Thursday at Statistics House in Kampala by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), also exposes sharp regional inequalities, with Karamoja and Madi consistently recording the lowest numbers of learning institutions across the education system.

While presenting the findings, UBOS executive director Dr Chris Mukiza said the data reflects a deeply uneven distribution of education infrastructure in the country.

“Buganda alone accounts for 15,846 pre-primary schools, including 1,580 in Kampala, making it the region with the highest concentration of early childhood learning centres in the country,” Mukiza said.

At the other end, Karamoja registered just 211 pre-primary schools, underscoring what the report describes as persistent structural disparities in access to early childhood education.

Early childhood learning

The census shows that Uganda’s education system remains heavily reliant on private providers, especially at lower levels for Early childhood learning.

Of the 38,347 pre-primary schools captured, only 3,193 are public or attached to public institutions, leaving the overwhelming majority in private hands.

Overall, the education system is serving more than 9.1 million learners across pre-primary, primary, secondary and non-tertiary institutions, reflecting steady expansion in access.

At pre-primary level, 2,374,674 children are enrolled, comprising 1,207,966 boys and 1,166,708 girls, with girls accounting for 49 percent of the learners.

However, the report warns that access does not always translate into timely enrolment, noting that about 22.5 percent of pre-primary learners are above the official age bracket, pointing to delayed entry into formal schooling.

Baby class recorded the highest enrolment at 937,299 learners, followed by top class at 774,442 and middle class at 662,933.

Expansion under pressure

Uganda has 43,567 primary schools, of which 12,557 are public and 31,010 private; meaning public institutions account for just 28.8 percent of the total number.

Buganda again leads with 16,538 primary schools, including 1,363 in Kampala, while Madi region has the fewest at 315 schools.

“The census records 9,118,314 primary learners, with 4,586,970 girls and 4,531,344 boys, showing a slight female majority of 50.3 percent,” said Mukiza.

Despite rising enrolment, the report highlights growing strain on public education infrastructure, with pupil-teacher and pupil-classroom ratios significantly higher than in private schools.

Uganda has 5,498 secondary schools, including 1,484 public and 4,014 private institutions, meaning public schools account for only 27 percent of the total. Buganda remains the leading region with 2,065 secondary schools, while Karamoja has just 40 schools.

At this level, there are 2,008,133 learners nationwide, with 1,069,855 girls and 938,278 boys.

Despite improved access, infrastructure challenges persist. The report shows about 40 students per teacher on average, up to 60 students per classroom in public secondary schools, and one toilet stance serving about 40 students.

Bugisu region is flagged as particularly underserved, with 87 sub-counties without a secondary school and 110 without a public secondary school.

Policy implications

The census is expected to guide future planning and resource allocation, especially in underserved regions facing infrastructure and staffing shortages.

UBOS Board chairperson Dr Albert Byamugisha praised government investment in education, saying it has been central to national transformation.

“Universal Primary Education (UPE) introduced in 1997 and Universal Secondary Education (USE) rolled out in 2007 remain among the most transformative social policies in Uganda’s history,” Byamugisha said.

He noted that UPE raised primary enrolment from about 2.5 million learners in the mid-1990s to over 8 million within a few years, while USE significantly expanded access to secondary education for rural and low-income households.

Byamugisha commended the Ministry of Education and Sports for prioritising evidence-based planning, saying the census reflects a stronger commitment to data-driven decision-making.

The findings, drawn from a nationwide exercise conducted between April and November last year, now place renewed focus on Uganda’s education paradox: expanding access on one hand, while persistent regional and infrastructural inequalities continue to shape learning outcomes on the other.