Citizenship education
Learning at school and in society

Universal Primary Education

Uganda

The Universal Primary Education Program (EPU) is the Ugandan free education strategy aiming at the full schooling of all the children in this country. It consists of a set of innovative reforms that have already increased remarkably the schooling rate in all parts of the country. Getting within a governmental policy framework, the program's main goal is to help numerous families, orphans and handicapped children. The initiative insists of the right to a quality education for all, as an economic need (to eradicate poverty) but also as a moral and ethical commitment. Then, this program responds to three major challenges: that of the access, equity and efficiency.

The initiative starts by the free attendance of school of four children in each family; 50% of the children concerned by this measure are girls. Facing the success of the measure, the country has had to meet a demand for trainers and structures. The people have been engaged in the initiative, especially in assuming certain inducted costs and the construction/rehabilitation of the infrastructures. A special effort has been made in favor of children in nomad populations, fishermen and working children. Finally, more emphasis has been put on the teachers' permanent training so that they may have the necessary competence to provide good quality education.

The program's objectives are developing the educational sector to welcome a larger number of learners and eliminate the disparities within the educational system in terms of access and performance, especially the imbalance between sexes and regions. The project has also initiated the populations to their own children's schooling management by stressing the role of education in overcoming poverty.

Sam Onek
Ag. Director of Education
Ministry of Education and Sports
PO BOX 7063 Kampala
UGANDA
E-mail: directorofeducation@hotmail.com

Institutional and Financial Partners

World Bank
Dutch Government
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Denmark
Great Britain

The UPE program started in January 1997.