The Ministry of Education and Sports has admitted that 904 sub-counties in Uganda have no public secondary school, forcing learners to walk long distances to access education.
The revelation was made by Peter Ogwang, Minister of State for Sports, while responding to a concern raised by Yona Kayogera (Busiki North) during the plenary sitting of August 26, 2026. Kayogera raised concerns over the absence of public schools in his constituency and asked government to take over community secondary schools.
Ogwang said: “We have 904 sub-counties without government-aided secondary schools. So, I want to really implore all of us that we will not be able to grant-aid a school in a sub-county where there is already an existing government-aided school. Our plan is first to address the 904. Let that be clear.”
Kayogera informed Parliament that Busiki North has over 150,000 people across four sub-counties but only one government-aided secondary school. He said government, under the Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfer Programme, committed to establishing at least one secondary school per sub-county, but the promise remains unfulfilled.
“What we have been having a challenge in my constituency, in one sub-county called Kiwani, we have a school there called Nakanyonyi Parents Secondary School. It is a community school founded by the Jinja Catholic Diocese in 1999, but these people have been writing several letters to the Ministry of Education to take over this school but up to now they have never got any response,” Kayogera said.
This comes as Parliament approved a request by the Ministry of Education for an additional UGX 137.69 billion to grant-aid 302 primary and 175 secondary schools, following requests across the country to take over community and NGO-founded schools in parishes and sub-counties without government schools.
The Ministry said it costs an estimated UGX 666 million to take over a secondary school and UGX 70 million for a primary school. It needs UGX 116.55 billion for 175 secondary schools and UGX 21.14 billion for 302 primary schools.
Dilapidated Traditional Schools
In the same sitting, Peter Obong Achuda (Maruzi County) asked the Ministry to explain plans to renovate traditional secondary schools built in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Lango sub-region, saying their dilapidated structures lack adequate facilities.
“These schools do not have the facilities that are being given to secondary schools, in terms of laboratories, libraries and classroom facilities. Before the government builds new schools, they should first look at the status of these schools so that they can be brought to a level where they can compete. With the new Competence-Based Curriculum that requires a fully equipped laboratory and a fully-furnished learning environment, let government first consider those schools,” Obong said.
Ogwang said government has earmarked 120 traditional schools built from the 1960s to 1980s for renovation. In the first phase, from Lango sub-region, government will renovate Comboni College, Lango College, St. Catherine Girls’ SS, Dr. Obote College Boroboro, Adwari SS and Aloi SS.
“We are aware of the new classroom blocks under the city schools. We are cognizant of the fact of the new competence-based curriculum which we are undertaking. We are ensuring that the new projects going forward meet all those standards,” he said.
UPE Schools Condemned
Joseph Ssewungu (Kalungu West) commended government for the renovation plan but asked the Ministry not to ignore primary schools, revealing that some lack toilets for learners and teachers.
“Key attention should be given to UPE schools also. Frankly speaking, most of the UPE schools are condemned. And majority of the secondary schools, they are charging fees. When you talk of Sir Samuel Baker, you talk about Comboni College, they are charging fees, but UPE, it is only capitation grant that they are surviving on. The foundation of education is from primary, but they are fully condemned, others have no toilets,” Ssewungu said.
Ogwang responded that government sends resources for renovation of UPE schools through local governments and pledged to share district development budget figures with MPs.
Asinasi Nyakato (Hoima City Woman MP) asked the Ministry to also regulate Early Childhood Development centres, saying government has not done enough to promote early childhood education.
Ogwang said nursery education is not yet government’s priority.
“I want to clarify and categorically state to the country, it’s not within our policy to handle matters of early child development or early child education. We are concentrating for now on universal primary and universal secondary. For now, we cannot begin to go downwards when we still have issues which we must all address for purposes of strengthening UPE and USE,” he said.
