Uganda’s education sector has undergone a major transformation over the last four decades, with government officials highlighting significant growth in school enrollment, infrastructure, and curriculum reforms under the NRM administration, even as challenges of quality, funding, and completion rates continue to affect the sector.

From a time when access to education in Uganda was limited to a small privileged class, the country has over the decades witnessed a significant transformation in the education sector through government programs such as Universal Primary Education and Universal Secondary Education.

Today, millions of children are enrolled in schools across the country, with both public and private institutions expanding to meet the demands of a rapidly growing population.

The Ministry of Education and Sports says despite persistent challenges in quality, funding, and completion rates, reforms introduced since 1986 continue to shape Uganda’s education landscape through expanded access, gender inclusion, and digital monitoring systems aimed at improving service delivery.

While addressing the media on the progress registered by the Education and Sports Sector between 1986 and 2026 under the NRM government, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Education and Sports, Dennis Mugimba, highlighted the sector’s growth alongside Uganda’s rising population, now estimated at about 53 million people.

Dr. Mugimba revealed that Uganda currently has 79,819 education institutions operating across the country. These include 45,246 primary schools, 7,503 secondary schools, 1,494 post-primary institutions, 126 international schools, and 55 universities and degree-awarding institutions.

He noted that private schools now outnumber government-owned institutions at both primary and secondary levels. However, government schools remain the backbone of education for millions of Ugandans due to their affordability and accessibility.

According to the Ministry, at least 20 million learners have passed through the Universal Primary Education program since its introduction nearly three decades ago, making UPE one of Uganda’s most transformative social programs despite ongoing operational challenges.

On secondary education, Dr. Mugimba explained that Uganda had only 527 government-aided secondary schools in 1986, most offering only ordinary-level education, with enrollment standing at about 185,000 students.

Today, enrollment has risen to nearly 2.5 million learners, a milestone largely attributed to the introduction of universal secondary education.

The Ministry also emphasized efforts to promote gender equality by ensuring equal access to education opportunities for both boys and girls across the country.

On curriculum reforms, Dr. Mugimba noted that beyond the revised O-level curriculum, changes have also been introduced in technical and vocational education and training, health training institutions, teacher education, and higher education to align learning with competence-based skills development.

However, according to UNESCO, Uganda’s education sector still faces major challenges despite high enrollment rates. These include low per-student funding, high dropout rates, and quality concerns that continue to place the country behind some regional peers, including Kenya and Tanzania.