Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The govt. has lowered its allocation to the education and sports activities sector within the upcoming monetary year 2025/26, elevating concerns amongst stakeholders over the nation’s dedication to human capital construction.
Per budget estimates presented by Finance Minister Matia Kasaija, the govt. plans to exercise 5.04 trillion shillings on education, representing perfect 6.97% of the projected 72.376 trillion shillings national budget. This marks a low cost of over 810 billion shillings from the 5.85 trillion shillings allocated within the 2024/25 monetary year, which had constituted 8% of the total budget.
“Madam Speaker, next monetary year, I beget equipped 5.04 trillion shillings for priority interventions,” mentioned Kasaija trusty by the budget reading, highlighting key achievements made within the concluding monetary year.
In 2024/25, the govt. had elevated the education budget by 5.2%, up from 5.56 trillion shillings in 2023/24. These funds supported over 9.5 million newcomers under Universal Fundamental Education (UPE) and virtually 1 million under Universal Secondary Education (USE), as smartly as activities linked to upcoming world events love CHAN and AFCON 2027.
The lowered allocation comes amid rising calls for across the education sector. Institutions proceed to grapple with extreme challenges, ranging from understaffing at all phases, from fundamental faculties to universities, to excessive pupil-to-teacher ratios and insufficient teacher lodging.
One more pickle that had rocked the field forward of the budget speech of wage disparities moreover stays unresolved, but arts and humanities teachers lately launched a strike to position a matter to wage enhancements to 4 million shillings in step with their science counterparts.
Per parliamentary documents, the education sector currently faces a funding hole of shut to 1.2 trillion shillings to meet its operational and staffing wants.
It is against this backdrop that critics and education experts beget raised concerns over the govt.’s declining dedication to the education sector, warning that such underinvestment poses a extreme threat to the nation’s long-term national construction.
Education coverage analyst Gonzaga Kaswarra has criticised the govt.’s budget priorities, declaring that rising debt servicing prices are crowding out spending on extreme sectors love education.
“If you survey on the previous three budgets, it’s traipse that more money is going to repay loans, quite loads of that were borrowed for non-performing sectors,” Kaswarra mentioned in an interview with URN. “What’s left is too runt, and education stays a low priority.”
He pressured out that every dollar invested in education yields a return of as much as 13 greenbacks, the very best of any sector, and warned that underinvestment might maybe maybe beget ripple effects on national security, health, and gender equality.
“Education is deeply linked to varied sectors. Reduced funding might maybe maybe lead to more girls falling by the wayside and bigger health burdens,” he added.
Kaswarra moreover condemned the persisted neglect of Early Childhood Trend (ECD), which stays largely within the fingers of the deepest sector.
“This locations a heavy burden on parents and impacts education quality and future human capital, and we beget now not heard it wherever within the budget speech, which implies that it’s now not a priority,” he mentioned.
Prof Mugagga components out contradictions
Professor Anthony Mugagga, Fundamental of Makerere University’s College of Education and External Experiences, echoed these concerns, announcing the budget low cost contradicts the realities on the ground.
“It’s disappointing. The preference of college-going kids is growing, and so is the keep apart a matter to for sources. Yet the budget is eager,” he well-liked. “At this fee, govt goals love promoting science education might maybe maybe now not be finished as there are now not sufficient funds allocated to the field.”
One more education knowledgeable working at a public university, talking on condition of anonymity, blamed the low cost in funding on dwindling donor enhance.
“Grants and loans from donors love the World Bank and USAID beforehand helped boost the education budget. Nonetheless the World Bank’s non permanent suspension of loans to Uganda, even if they’ve reopened the faucet lately, the system has felt the impression.”
Quite loads of reports through the years beget emphasised that for countries love Uganda to kind the specified standards in education, now not decrease than 20% of the national budget desires to be allocated to the field. On the other hand, Uganda continues to plunge vastly rapid of this benchmark.
The twenty fourth version of the Uganda Financial Update, launched on February 24 this year, moreover highlighted a disconnect between the nation’s construction aspirations and its helpful resource allocation, noting that while Uganda sets plucky goals, its spending priorities in general contradict those goals.
“In 2021, overall public spending on education stood at 2.7 percent of GDP, which is under the commended minimum threshold of 4 percent,79 and compares poorly to regional peers that exercise 4.2 percent of GDP,” the legend reads in part.
Meanwhile, with the allocated sh5.04 trillion for priority interventions within the 2025/26 monetary year, Minister Kasaija mentioned that the govt. will proceed offering free education under Universal Fundamental Education (UPE), Universal Secondary Education (USE), and Universal Post-O’ Stage Education and Coaching.
The funds will moreover enhance sponsorships and student loans for greater education, the rehabilitation of 120 feeble secondary faculties and 31 special wants fundamental faculties, as smartly because the construction of 116 new seed secondary faculties and the growth of 61 present ones.
In addition, the budget will cater to the recruitment of more teachers and non-instructing workers, the rollout of a nationwide digital inspection system to show screen teacher and learner attendance, and the provision of textbooks and tutorial materials geared toward bettering the textbook-to-student ratio from the contemporary 1:15 to 1:3.
The govt. moreover plans to operationalize Bunyonyo and Busoga universities and total stadiums and coaching amenities in preparation for CHAN and AFCON 2027.
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