The Ministry of Education and Sports is set to unveil the new Early Childhood Care and Education Policy, a framework expected to streamline nursery education, professionalize caregivers, and strengthen learning standards across the country.

Ahead of the official launch, stakeholders today took part in an awareness walk through Kampala to rally public support for early childhood development.

Uganda is set to take a bold step in transforming its education sector with the launch of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Policy. Officially unveiled tomorrow at Nakivubo Blue Primary School under the theme “Strong beginnings, strong future,” the policy will streamline pre-primary education by setting standards, improving supervision, and ensuring quality learning for young children.

Ahead of the official launch, the Ministry of Education and Sports today organized an ECCE Walk through the streets of Kampala.

The walk attracted education officials, teachers, development partners, parents, and civil society actors all united in one message: invest in children early.

Organizers say the public awareness drive was meant to highlight the importance of early childhood education and mobilize support for the new policy.

They argue that investment in young children lays the foundation for healthier families, better school performance, and stronger national development.

State Minister for Primary Education, Honourable Joyce Moriku Kaducu, says the new policy will strengthen nursery school administration through clear standards and professional training of caregivers and teachers.

She says this will help improve quality, consistency, and fairness in early childhood learning across Uganda.

The minister adds that the government wants nursery education to move beyond informal structures and become a properly managed part of the national education system.

She says the Ministry of Education will now have greater authority over the supervision and regulation of nursery schools nationwide.

According to the minister, stronger oversight will improve accountability, child safety, and service delivery in the sector.

She also reaffirmed the government's directive barring schools from operating day care centres, insisting that childcare services must be properly regulated under the ministry’s mandate.

Stakeholders in the early childhood sector have welcomed the move, describing it as long overdue.

Vice Chairperson of the Network for Early Childhood Development Actors in Uganda, Joseph Kabanda, says the policy demonstrates Uganda’s growing commitment to prioritising children during their most formative years.

Kabanda says the framework will help strengthen systems for learning, protection, nutrition, and care, ensuring children are prepared not only for school, but for life.

Uganda, like many developing countries, continues to face challenges in access, affordability, and quality of nursery education.  Many early learning centres operate without enough trained staff, proper learning materials, or consistent standards.

Experts believe the ECCE Policy could help bridge those gaps if fully implemented and adequately funded.

As Uganda moves to reform education from the foundation level, the success of this policy will depend not only on regulation, but on investment in teachers, infrastructure, and child-centred learning. For now, hopes remain high that the country’s youngest learners will finally get the strong beginning they deserve.