Following the recently published census report of 2024, it was indicated that 80% of Uganda’s population aged six years and above can easily access universal education.
These include Universal Primary Education (UPE), Universal Secondary Education (USE), and Business Technical Vocational Education Training Institute (BTVET).
The report revealed that this was made possible after the introduction of UPE in 1997 by President Yoweri Museveni and USE in 2007, where the government partly covered the cost for every learner to increase access to quality primary and secondary education and allow Ugandans to easily access free education.
According to Census report 2024, it was highlighted that the gross attendance ratio (GAR) for primary schools was 101.3% and the net attendance ratio (NAR) was 66.8%.
As a result of the above figures, eight to ten males (76.6%) and seven in ten (71.65) females were literate.
The report revealed that the highest percentage of learners attending primary school in 2024 was 75%, followed by 62% at the secondary level.
Additionally, the government’s policy of constructing at least one government-aided primary and secondary school per parish resulted in 89% of the parishes in Uganda having a school.
Kigezi sub region has the highest percentage of parishes with at least one primary school, followed by Ankole, Buganda, and Busoga. Acholi and Elgon sub regions having the lowest percentage.
Buganda and Ankole are leading with over 80% in the number of secondary schools in their respective areas.
Such figures clearly recognize governments efforts to enable easy access to education, hence promoting sustainable development through human capacity development of the population.
