Museveni Unveils New Post Primary Strategy
Feb 02, 2003
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni Friday postponed a meeting with his army generals and spent over three hours with journalists presenting his balance sheet since Universal Primary Education (UPE) was introduced seven years ago.
By John Eremu
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni Friday postponed a meeting with his army generals and spent over three hours with journalists presenting his balance sheet since Universal Primary Education (UPE) was introduced seven years ago.
The President also disclosed the strategies in place to expand capacity at the post-primary level to absorb the expected UPE graduates.
He said government plans to have at least one grant aided secondary school and a community polytechnic per sub-county. There are about 1,000 sub-counties in Uganda.
“Of the 60 secondary schools government promised to build over a period of three years beginning financial year 2001-02, 17 have been built and ready for commissioning for the academic year 2003,†Museveni told the press at State Lodge Nakasero.
Education Minister, Dr. Khiddu Makubuya, State Minister for Primary Education, Geraldine Bitamazire, the Acting Permanent Secretary, Sam Onek, the Director Education Standards Agency (ESA), Dr. Rose Nassali Lukwago and the Acting Commissioner for Education Planning, Albert Byamugisha were among the ministry officials present.
Museveni said by 2005-0 6 at least 98 secondary schools will have been built, another 1,473 classrooms built in the existing schools as well as 640 other classrooms rehabilitated.
He also 157 new libraries and laboratories will have been completed within the same period at a total cost of sh22bn.
The President declared that UPE was now for all children and no longer limited to four children per family. He also said a bursary scheme had been introduced at the sub-counties to initially support two poor but bright students who cannot afford fees for secondary education.
Museveni said effective this academic year, the system of admission to public universities will be decentralised to enable every district get a share of state scholarships.
He also said sh325m has been set aside this financial year to operationalise a student loan scheme. The scheme needs sh6bn a year.
On quality, Museveni said Government targets to recruit 155,384 primary school teachers by 2005 in a bid to reduce the pupil to teacher ratio from the current 52 to 42 pupils per teacher.
He also said that over seven million core textbooks as well as 86,683 pieces of furniture had been supplied to the schools in addition to the building of 267 units of teacher houses.
Museveni said budgetary allocation to the education sector had continued to rise from 14% in the mid-1980s to 31% of government’s discretionary recurrent budget.
“Expenditure towards the education sector increased from sh189.9bn in 1995 to sh550bn in the 2002-03 financial year, representing an increase of 190%,†he said.
The percentage ratio of boys to girls’ enrollment also improved from 55:45 (55 boys to 45 girls) in 1986 to 51:49 last year.
Museveni advocated for a freeze on salary increment for civil servants in higher scales until the gap between the highest and lowest salary earners (compression rate) is substantially narrowed.
He said until 1998, he earned a monthly salary of sh150,000. After being persuaded by some Members of Parliament (MPs), he now earns sh3.8m a month. Ends
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni Friday postponed a meeting with his army generals and spent over three hours with journalists presenting his balance sheet since Universal Primary Education (UPE) was introduced seven years ago.
The President also disclosed the strategies in place to expand capacity at the post-primary level to absorb the expected UPE graduates.
He said government plans to have at least one grant aided secondary school and a community polytechnic per sub-county. There are about 1,000 sub-counties in Uganda.
“Of the 60 secondary schools government promised to build over a period of three years beginning financial year 2001-02, 17 have been built and ready for commissioning for the academic year 2003,†Museveni told the press at State Lodge Nakasero.
Education Minister, Dr. Khiddu Makubuya, State Minister for Primary Education, Geraldine Bitamazire, the Acting Permanent Secretary, Sam Onek, the Director Education Standards Agency (ESA), Dr. Rose Nassali Lukwago and the Acting Commissioner for Education Planning, Albert Byamugisha were among the ministry officials present.
Museveni said by 2005-0 6 at least 98 secondary schools will have been built, another 1,473 classrooms built in the existing schools as well as 640 other classrooms rehabilitated.
He also 157 new libraries and laboratories will have been completed within the same period at a total cost of sh22bn.
The President declared that UPE was now for all children and no longer limited to four children per family. He also said a bursary scheme had been introduced at the sub-counties to initially support two poor but bright students who cannot afford fees for secondary education.
Museveni said effective this academic year, the system of admission to public universities will be decentralised to enable every district get a share of state scholarships.
He also said sh325m has been set aside this financial year to operationalise a student loan scheme. The scheme needs sh6bn a year.
On quality, Museveni said Government targets to recruit 155,384 primary school teachers by 2005 in a bid to reduce the pupil to teacher ratio from the current 52 to 42 pupils per teacher.
He also said that over seven million core textbooks as well as 86,683 pieces of furniture had been supplied to the schools in addition to the building of 267 units of teacher houses.
Museveni said budgetary allocation to the education sector had continued to rise from 14% in the mid-1980s to 31% of government’s discretionary recurrent budget.
“Expenditure towards the education sector increased from sh189.9bn in 1995 to sh550bn in the 2002-03 financial year, representing an increase of 190%,†he said.
The percentage ratio of boys to girls’ enrollment also improved from 55:45 (55 boys to 45 girls) in 1986 to 51:49 last year.
Museveni advocated for a freeze on salary increment for civil servants in higher scales until the gap between the highest and lowest salary earners (compression rate) is substantially narrowed.
He said until 1998, he earned a monthly salary of sh150,000. After being persuaded by some Members of Parliament (MPs), he now earns sh3.8m a month. Ends