Government Delays Free Education Funding: Parents and Students Left Waiting

Parents and students who were hoping for relief from the ever-increasing school fees in public and government-aided schools will have to wait longer.

The government had previously promised to increase funding for the education sector to gradually offer free education. However, this promise was not reflected in the 2024/25 budget presented last Thursday by Finance Minister Matia Kasaija. Reports indicated that Shs 1.48 trillion had been proposed to support the free education initiative.

It was expected that funding would start from FY 2024/25 and continue through FY 2027/28, with Shs 309.16 billion allocated for FY 2024/25 to roll out free primary education. The intended funds were to address challenges within Universal Primary Education (UPE), such as recruiting 78,888 teachers to achieve a 40:1 student-teacher ratio, especially in understaffed schools that rely on part-time teachers, resulting in additional fees for parents.

The funds were also planned for constructing new classrooms, rehabilitating those in poor condition, providing more instructional materials, and potentially increasing capitation grants. Many parents, like Moses Ssekindi from Wakiso district, were hopeful for this relief. However, the government’s budget process has delayed the implementation.

“This has been a recurring promise whenever free education is demanded,” Ssekindi said. “Hopefully, it will be included next term or even next year.”

With the promised funds missing from the new budget, another commitment towards free education has been postponed. This is part of a long list of unfulfilled promises by the president concerning free and accessible education, a key element of the ruling National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) 2021-2026 manifesto.

Although universal primary and secondary education exist in Uganda, additional costs for uniforms, lunches, and PTA contributions still prevent some children from attending school. True free education would remove these barriers, ensuring every child can attend school.

The Uganda National Survey Report 2019/2020 indicates that 62.3% of school dropouts are due to the cost of education. Increased financing for UPE and Universal Secondary Education (USE) could reduce the financial burden on parents, decreasing school dropout rates.

In his budget speech, Kasaija announced Shs 2.497 trillion for the education sector, focusing on five key priorities: implementing the new lower secondary curriculum, operationalizing 110 seed secondary schools, and completing 27 others under the UGIFT program. Funds were also allocated for constructing 60 new secondary schools and expanding 61 existing ones under the Uganda Secondary Education Expansion Project, as well as for student loans.

The government will also take over Bunyoro and Busoga universities to ensure inclusive and equitable access to university education, increasing the number of public universities to fourteen. State Minister for Primary Education, Dr. Joyce Kaduccu, noted that the budget missed funds for completely free education due to other pressing priorities. She mentioned the possibility of requesting a supplementary budget.

“Finance has asked us to defer this money for one more year, but we will request a supplementary budget because this is a pledge to the people of Uganda, and we hope it will be a game changer for primary-level children,” Kaduccu said.

Kaduccu explained that fund allocation was influenced by the need to implement the lower secondary curriculum and prepare for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

“The NRM government takes one priority at a time and completes it properly…we need to ensure efficient and effective implementation of the lower secondary curriculum. With AFCON approaching, we needed to allocate more resources, especially for the construction of the Hoima stadium,” said Kaduccu.

Angella Kasule Nabwowe, executive director of the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER), analyzed the budget and highlighted that several education sector areas remain unfunded or underfunded. Although the ministry aimed to provide financial assistance to 100 secondary schools and 100 primary schools, the allocated funding is insufficient.

“40% of primary schools implementing universal primary education are in poor condition. With Shs 30 billion, if we could just allocate 26% of the money set for travel abroad, we could address some of the issues impacting access to quality education. Our neighbors, Kenya and Tanzania, allocate over 18% of their budgets to education because they recognize its benefits,” Nabwowe said.

The ministry planned to allocate Shs 100 billion for rehabilitating 200 primary schools, but no funds were provided in the 2024/25 budget. Despite Uganda’s progress in education, there is a persistent concern over the low share of the national budget allocated to the education sub-program, especially given the continually growing population of learners.