Uganda boasts of more than 40,000 primary schools — UBOS census
The report released yesterday states 31,010 of the schools are privately owned, meaning public primary schools account for only 28.8 percent of all primary schools in the country
KAMPALA, May 29, 2026 — Uganda has a total of 43,567 primary schools, according to the Baseline Education Census [BEC] 2025 Report released by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics [UBOS].
The report released yesterday states 31,010 of the schools are privately owned, meaning public primary schools account for only 28.8 percent of all primary schools in the country.
Uganda implements Universal Primary Education [UPE] programmes, under which parents do not pay school fees for their children, while the government provides funding to support learners in public schools.
By region, Buganda has the highest number of primary schools, both public and private, at 16,538, while Kampala alone has 1,363 schools. Madi has the fewest primary schools at 315.
Bugisu has 344 parishes without any primary school. “Bugisu ranks highest in parishes without a public primary school. A total of 517 parishes in Bugisu have no public primary school,” said Dr Chris N. Mukiza, the Executive Director of UBOS, while presenting the survey findings in Kampala.
The report shows that primary schools in the country have a total enrolment of 9,118,314 learners, of whom 4,531,344 are boys while 4,586,970 are girls. Girls constitute 50.3 per cent of all primary school learners.
The report further indicates that the pupil-teacher ratio in public schools is twice as high as that in private schools, while the pupil-classroom ratio in public schools is more than double that of private schools. Similarly, the pupil-stance ratio in public schools is more than twice that in private schools.
While releasing the BEC findings, Mukiza lauded President Yoweri Museveni for his continued support towards the development of statistics in the country.
“I wish to thank H.E. the President of the Republic of Uganda, Gen Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, for his continued support towards statistics and for the value he places on official data in national discourse. His speeches consistently draw from official statistics produced by UBOS, which reflects the important role data plays in planning and decision-making,” Mukiza said.
He also extended appreciation to the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni, for initiating the BEC with the aim of strengthening the Education Management Information System [EMIS], and for personally launching the enumeration exercise in Jinja in May 2025.
Mukiza thanked the public for the growing appreciation and use of statistics in public discussions and inquiries. He urged planners and decision-makers to translate the findings into practical actions that support Uganda’s socio-economic transformation.
The report was officially launched by Albert Byamugisha, Chairperson of the UBOS Board of Directors, alongside Mukiza, and Kedrace Turyagyenda, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education and Sports, together with other dignitaries.
Byamugisha appreciated the Ministry of Education and Sports for supporting the successful implementation of the BEC 2025 and promoting evidence-based planning in the education sector.
He noted that the report provides important data on enrolment, teacher availability, school infrastructure, sanitation, ICT access, attendance, and completion rates to support planning, resource allocation, and policy formulation. He reaffirmed the Bureau’s commitment to producing quality and timely statistics for national development.
He commended the Government of Uganda for the sustained investment in education.
“The introduction of Universal Primary Education in 1997 and Universal Secondary Education in 2007 remains one of the most transformative social policies in Uganda’s history,” Byamugisha said, observing that the reforms expanded access to education for millions of children, particularly those from vulnerable and low-income households.
On her part, Turyagyenda noted that the detailed findings from the Baseline Education Census [BEC] Report 2025 will support planning for education access, school infrastructure, learner population distribution, and skills development across the country.
She commended UBOS for the e-dissemination platform, noting that the data and insights generated from the Baseline Education Census will support implementation of the Ministry’s Strategic Plan 2025/26–2030/31, including ongoing efforts to strengthen TVET and expand access to skills development opportunities across the country.
“We needed data from the Baseline Education Census because it is going to help the Ministry and Government plan for the provision of education services and identify the areas where the need is greatest,” said Turyagyenda.
The BEC 2025 highlights the importance of coordinated Government planning and the role of timely and reliable statistics in guiding implementation and supporting Uganda’s Vision 2040 development agenda.
Mukiza noted that the report provides quality statistics on schools and tertiary institutions across Uganda, including baseline information on learners, teaching and non-teaching staff, infrastructure, and instructional materials. He said the census was conducted in close collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Sports and that the dissemination marks the climax of UBOS’ release calendar for the financial year following a series of reports published since March 2026 for public access and use.
https://thecooperator.news/education-sports-budget-cuts-will-affect-afcon-preparations/
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