The Ministry of Education and Sports has announced that over Shs1.48 trillion is needed to fully implement free and compulsory primary and secondary education, aiming to eliminate high school fees that continue to burden many Ugandan families.

This was revealed by Peace Busingye, the Principal Education Officer (Guidance and Counseling), while appearing before Parliament’s Human Rights Committee.

Her appearance was in response to concerns raised in the 2024 State of Human Rights and Freedoms Report by the Uganda Human Rights Commission.

Busingye emphasized that the first step in achieving universal education is enforcing compliance among 105 Government and Government-aided secondary schools that have continued to charge fees despite receiving public funding since 2007.

She further confirmed that Cabinet has approved a Shs1.48 trillion budget for the period 2024/25 to 2027/28.

The funds are intended to support Universal Primary Education (UPE), ensuring that no fees are charged in Government and Government-aided schools.

Previously, the Uganda Human Rights Commission expressed concern over the continued collection of non-tuition fees in UPE and Universal Secondary Education (USE) schools fees often justified by schools as necessary for staffing and development.

These charges, however, contradict the original goal of providing free, universal education.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Sports Peter Ogwang underscored the urgency of allocating the approved funds, stressing their importance in supporting low-income families and expanding access to quality education.

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