How is education or schooling like in Uganda?
Depending on what you want, education or schooling is catered for across all levels. We have the elementary school (what we call nursery school here), primary school, secondary school, university level, tertiary as well as technical schooling. Many times, the numbers of learners at elementary school level are at the highest level of the pyramid and the number really dwindles down at the secondary school level all the way to university level or tertiary learning level.
Photo credit: UNHCR
Is it expensive?
For the average Ugandan, education or schooling is very expensive. We are a country where the vast majority of us don’t even have 1 million shillings in our accounts (mobile money and or bank)!
Photo credit: Horizon International School Uganda
How are government schools?
Well, they are usually government-aided, and they are distributed out evenly so throughout the country. Most of the learners there are natural born Ugandans.
Photo credit: Kevmrc
Do they wear school uniforms?
Yes, many of them wear school uniforms.
What time do they go to school?
Depending on the location of the school, most children upcountry, report to school by about 10AM to 11AM in East Africa time.
Are government schools well-funded with good school buildings and facilities?
Unfortunately, majority of them are under-funded. They shelter their learners in makeshift structures and work with what they can.
Tell me about private schools too.
Private schools, depending on their location and how much resources their proprietors inject into them, have a different feel and approach to schooling here. They tend to produce very many of the privileged learners in the country and are usually well positioned to attract the very best brains in the country, in their annual intakes.