The Ministry of Education and Sports has reported significant strides in constructing secondary schools in underserved areas and distributing instructional materials as part of its manifesto commitments.
While presenting the progress under the National Resistance Movement (NRM) manifesto, Minister of Education Janet Kataaha Museveni disclosed that 114 seed secondary schools have been completed through the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers (UgIFT) program.
An additional 144 schools are under construction, with completion expected by June 2025.
The Minister emphasized that the initiative aims to bridge the education access gap by ensuring that every sub-county has a public secondary school.
The new seed schools are equipped with essential facilities, including laboratories, libraries, and ICT centers, to provide a high-quality learning environment.
Further enhancing access to secondary education, the government plans to build 116 more schools under the Uganda Secondary Expansion Project (USEEP).
These schools will include modern infrastructure such as science laboratories, multipurpose halls, and housing for teachers to create a conducive environment for both teaching and learning.
The Ministry has also prioritized improving the quality of education by investing Shs 37.77 billion in procuring textbooks and instructional materials over the past three years.
A total of 22.8 million textbooks, covering core and non-core subjects, have been distributed to schools under the revised Lower Secondary Curriculum.
This initiative is designed to improve the student-to-textbook ratio, aiming for a 3:1 ratio to enhance the learning experience across public and private secondary schools.
For the 2024/2025 financial year, the government has allocated Shs 4.44 billion to procure an additional 8.33 million textbooks for core subjects.
This reinforces the Ministry’s commitment to equitable access to quality education throughout Uganda, ensuring that both infrastructure and instructional resources support the learning needs of all students.
The Ministry’s ongoing efforts to expand school infrastructure and provide adequate learning materials reflect its determination to meet the growing demand for secondary education and uphold the government’s pledge to transform Uganda’s education sector.
