By Michael Tumwesigye
The recently announced 2024/25 fiscal year budget for Uganda has ignited considerable discussion, particularly concerning its allocation towards the education sector. Education stands as a fundamental pillar for national development, driving social progress and economic growth. This analysis explores into the specifics of the budget allocation, its implications for Uganda’s current educational landscape, and the prospects it holds for the future.
The total national budget for the fiscal year 2024/25 has been set at Ugx 72.1 trillion, reflecting a substantial increase from the previous year’s Ugx 52.7 trillion. Under the overarching theme of “Full Monetization of Uganda’s Economy,” significant emphasis has been placed on human capital development. This includes a substantial allocation of Ugx 9.9 trillion (26.3% of the budget) towards education, healthcare, and skills development. Specifically, the education sector received Ugx 5.85 trillion, constituting 8% of the total budget.
This marks a 5.2% increase from the previous fiscal year, underscoring the government’s commitment to enhancing educational outcomes across all levels. For instance, funds are allocated to construct new schools and expand existing facilities, particularly, in underserved areas and refugee-hosting districts. However, this is for only less than 5% of schools in the country. The Uganda Secondary Education Expansion Project (USEEP) exemplifies these efforts, aiming to increase access to secondary education in regions with limited educational infrastructure.
Moreover, the budget includes provisions for establishing new universities in regions like Busoga and Bunyoro, aiming to broaden higher education opportunities and reduce regional disparities. Investments in teacher education and training are also prioritized, including initiatives such as the Uganda National Institute for Teacher Education (UNITE) and the National Teacher Council. These efforts are crucial for improving teaching standards and overall educational quality and equity.
Despite these positive steps, several challenges persist within Uganda’s education sector. Infrastructure deficits remain a significant issue, particularly in remote regions where classrooms,libraries, and sanitation facilities are inadequate. Addressing these infrastructure gaps is essential to ensure a conducive learning environment for all students. Uganda currently allocates a relatively low resources to education compared to the sector’s needs. This could lead to Uganda lagging behind neighbouring countries in terms of educational attainment levels, potentially resulting in missed economic opportunities.
Education 2030 Framework for Action, recommends allocating at least 15 to 20 percent of public expenditure towards education. This year, Uganda allocated 8%, which is still below 15% recommended budget allocation to education. This may translate into poor quality education at all levels and a high dropout rate as compared to other East African countries.
The Government introduced UPE (Universal Primary Education) and USE (Universal Secondary Education) which is commendable. Oftentimes, most reports boast of high enrollment in Primary schools with the introduction of UPE but, it should go hand in hand with the outcomes and long-run impact on national development. Thus, we should not only analyze statistics at the output level, but, we need to translate those outputs to change in quality of life of Ugandans.
Funds the government allocates to schools under Universal Primary education remains a concern for many; for example, the Universal Primary Education (UPE) capitation grant for operational support to primary schools remains low at about 10,000 Shillings per primary pupil for one year. This implies that every child is given about 3300 Uganda Shillings per term, to fund sports, scholastic materials, education tours, teaching aid and other needs of a child in school for a term.
Additionally, while teacher training has been considered in the 2024/25 budget, critical shortages of qualified teachers persist, especially in rural and underserved areas. Efforts to attract and retain skilled educators through incentives and professional development opportunities must be intensified. Equity in access to education remains another critical area requiring attention. Although initiatives like USEEP aim to expand access to secondary education, disparities persist, particularly for marginalized groups and learners in remote areas. Ensuring equal educational opportunities for all, remains a priority for achieving inclusive growth and development.
The National Planning Authority (NPA), the government’s think tank, has already stated that the current annual capitation grant sent to schools is inadequate to support the delivery of quality education. According to the issues submitted to the Education Policy Review Commission, the NPA recommends that the government provide 38,773 shillings per learner per year at pre-primary and primary levels, 351,360 shillings at lower secondary, and 570,220 shillings at upper secondary.
While at the global level countries are addressing the 21st-century issues of education; for example; the integration of technology in education; how to enhance productivity using Artificial intelligence, Machine learning, internet of things (IoT), 21st century skills (collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and communication – the 4Cs); Lifelong learning; Technology for People With Disabilities (PWDs), Massive Online Courses (MOOCs) on universal platforms like Coursera, Udemy and more others; Mobile learning (M-Learning); Coding for primary schools; digital citizenship; we are still struggling with 19th and 20th Century skills of Reading, Writing and Arithmetic –the 3Rs. We must position ourselves to regain our former glory as the regional education hub and compete globally as we work towards a middle-class income country as envisioned in Uganda Vision 2040.
By addressing the current gaps in education financing holistically, Uganda can harness its education sector’s potential to drive sustainable socio-economic development and global competitiveness in the years ahead.
