Funding gaps threaten Uganda's education progress, experts warn

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Education experts have warned that Uganda’s progress in expanding access to education risks being reversed unless urgent action is taken to address critical gaps in funding, infrastructure, learning materials, teacher recruitment, and school feeding.

This concern was raised during a high-level policy brief dissemination meeting organised by World Vision at Fairway Hotel in Kampala on May 20 2025. The meeting brought together education policymakers, civil society organisations, and development partners to reflect on achievements and ongoing challenges in delivering quality education in Uganda.

Despite notable gains in enrolment and gender parity, experts expressed alarm over persistently poor learning outcomes and high dropout rates, which they said undermine the promise of universal education.

Education experts have warned that Uganda’s progress in expanding access to education risks being reversed unless urgent action is taken to address critical gaps in funding. (Photo by John Musenze)

According to Uwezo’s 2021 learning assessment, the percentage of learners from Primary Three to Primary Seven who cannot read a Primary Two-level English story increased from 6.2% in 2018 to 11.6%. The situation is even more severe in refugee-hosting districts, where only 5.6% of Primary Three pupils and 33% of Primary Six pupils demonstrate basic literacy, according to the 2021 Education Response Plan Baseline Survey.

“We celebrate the progress made, but we must also confront the structural challenges limiting our children’s potential,” said Richard Rumsey, World Vision Uganda’s Programme Quality Director. “Education is not just a right; it is the cornerstone of human capital development. But the government alone cannot meet the growing demands. We need a collective response that prioritises financing and equitable service delivery.”

Rumsey highlighted that while Uganda’s enrolment figures are impressive, rising from 8.26 million in 2016 to 10.7 million in 2020, the country still lags behind global benchmarks in school completion and literacy. The global average for primary school completion is 88%, whereas Uganda’s rate stands at only 67%, according to the country’s 2024 Voluntary National Review on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

School feeding: a pressing concern

One of the most pressing issues raised at the meeting was school feeding. Many learners, especially in rural and refugee-hosting areas, attend school on empty stomachs, which significantly affects their concentration and academic performance.

Rumsey urged the government to honour its commitments under the School Meals Coalition by finalising a national school feeding policy, establishing a dedicated budget, and introducing a digital monitoring system to track progress.

Government response

The State Minister for Primary Education, Dr Joyce Moriku Kaducu, represented at the meeting by Brighton Barugahare, commissioner for education policy, acknowledged the challenges facing the education sector and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improvement.

“We are working on a national school feeding policy and have already formed a task force to oversee its implementation,” Barugahare said. “We want to ensure that every learner receives at least one meal a day while at school.”

Brighton Barugahare, Commissioner for Education Policy, acknowledged the challenges facing the education sector and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improvement. (Photo by John Musenze)

Barugahare also cited the rollout of the Teacher Effectiveness and Learner Assessment (TELA) system, which monitors real-time teacher attendance and adherence to timetables, as a step toward addressing chronic teacher absenteeism. He added that the ministry is scaling up the use of integrated school inspection systems and is working to ensure that each parish has a primary school to improve access and reduce dropout rates.

However, he admitted that these efforts cannot succeed without adequate financing. “It is unfair to expect children to perform well when teachers lack proper instructional materials and the infrastructure is inadequate,” he said.

Teachers demand support

Filbert Baguma, general secretary of the Uganda National Teachers' Union (UNATU), echoed these concerns, urging the government to prioritise the training, motivation, and welfare of teachers.

“You cannot speak of quality education when the people delivering it are neither supported nor valued,” Baguma said during a panel discussion.

Baguma also cautioned against parents forcing their children to do sciences because this has been fronted as the only good courses and subjects, and yet many students have proven to be unable to study them further.

Rumsey added, “Good nutrition is essential to learning. If we want to see performance improve, we must address hunger as a learning barrier.”

The meeting concluded with a strong call to action from education stakeholders. Key recommendations included increasing the national education budget, fast-tracking the school feeding policy, fostering public-private partnerships, and expanding targeted support to vulnerable groups, particularly refugee children.

“Children should not drop out of school because of hunger or the inability to afford basic learning materials,” said Rumsey. “Education must be safe, inclusive, and accessible to every child, regardless of their background.”

The Ministry of Education and Sports also pledged to continue supporting all stakeholders working to improve learning conditions for children. Both government and civil society representatives agreed that sustained collaboration across sectors is essential to overcoming the education sector’s persistent challenges.

As Uganda prepares for the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), participants underscored that quality education must remain a central pillar of the country’s human capital development agenda.