The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) in a significant high-level engagement has joined education stakeholders to commemorate African Statistics Day celebrated annually on November 18 with a call to focus on the current status of education statistics and the modernization of data systems.
The event which took place at the statistics house Colville Street Kampala on Monday, November 18, 2024, featured a panel of prominent education experts namely Jim Mugunga, Executive Director of the Public Private Partnership Unit at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED); Rev. Prof. Dr. Samuel Lubonga from the Education Sector Council (ESC); Vincent Ssozi, Assistant Commissioner of Statistics at the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) among others
Dr. Albert Byamugisha, UBOS Board Chairperson, opened the event by expressing gratitude to education sector stakeholders for their collaboration and coordination with UBOS and urged them to be ambassadors of data use in their respective institutions.
“Let us all be an ambassador of data use in our respective institutions, as statistics remains the backbone of evidence-based decision-making,” Byamugisha said.
Dr. Byamugisha expressed his appreciation towards the Ministry of Finance particularly Amos Lugoloobi Minister of State Planning and Economic Development for his continuous support in securing funding for UBOS activities.
He acknowledged the government’s role in providing necessary resources to facilitate the Bureau’s operations and announced that the final results of the 2024 Census would be released in December, as outlined in the Census roadmap.
Dr. Chris N. Mukiza, the Executive Director of UBOS, highlighted the importance of the partnership with the education sector in informing the data collected by UBOS. He noted that while Africa celebrates this day, Uganda has chosen to extend the celebration to a week, underscoring the significance of statistics in national development.
Dr. Mukiza also praised Uganda’s reputation as a leading statistical agency, stating that many countries are now benchmarking their practices against UBOS due to its successful initiatives.
“We affirm UBOS’s commitment to ensuring that data provision, access, uptake, and use are prioritized, as UBOS and its partners commit to modernizing education statistics, the engagement serves as a crucial step towards enhancing data-driven decision-making in Uganda’s education sector,” Dr. Mukiza said.
The Key topics addressed included the pressing needs and opportunities for modernizing education statistics, the development of fit-for-purpose statistical systems, and fostering strategic partnerships to enhance the production of education data.
World Statistics Day is an international day that celebrates statistics every five years it was, created by the United Nations Statistical Commission.