By KT Reporter
The Ministry of Education and Sports is ready to implement a long-awaited national school feeding programme aimed at addressing hunger among millions of Ugandan children and teachers.
The initiative seeks to curb the persistent issue of learners attending school on empty stomachs, which has impacted concentration and academic performance.
Janet Kataha Museveni, First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, revealed the plan during the NRM manifesto progress report event at State House Nakasero. She confirmed that the programme will begin in the 2025/2026 financial year, most probably the first term of the 2026 academic year. For the start, the rollout will focus on primary schools.
In its 2021-2026 manifesto-themed Securing Your Future, the NRM government pledged to provide at least one hot midday meal to schoolchildren as a strategy to improve retention and ensure effective learning. This promise follows years of public debate on how to handle school feeding, with previous policies placing the responsibility on parents to pack meals or contribute financially or in kind to feeding programs.
However, concerns have been raised about the practicality of parents packing food, as meals often spoil or are consumed early in the day, leaving children hungry. Additionally, some schools have been criticized for charging exorbitant fees for meals, making it difficult for many parents to afford and leading to reduced school attendance.
Under a new arrangement, Dr Denis Mugimba, the Ministry of Education spokesperson, said that the government will introduce separate funding for all primary schools specifically for school feeding. While the exact budget allocation was not disclosed, Mugimba clarified that the funds will be distributed based on enrollment numbers and local food costs.
“The funds will be independent of capitation grants and will allow schools to purchase food from local suppliers,” Mugimba explained. He added that schools will have flexibility in choosing what to serve, depending on locally available ingredients.
For instance, schools in areas where millet is abundant may opt for millet porridge and an egg, while others in areas with milk or maize porridge can provide what they have as well. “The meals may vary across the country, but the goal is to ensure that every learner gets something to eat,” Mugimba added.
The school feeding initiative is expected to boost local agricultural production, supporting various projects under the Parish Development Model. By sourcing food from nearby farmers, the program aims to strengthen community livelihoods and promote sustainable farming practices.
Over the past year, the government has been drafting a national school feeding policy and has officially joined the Global School Meals Coalition. Additionally, it finalized and released school feeding guidelines to help schools implement the program effectively at the local level.
Uganda’s school feeding program has a complex history dating back to the post-1979 war period, initially covering all schools. Over time, targeted initiatives emerged, with the Karamoja program, launched in 1983, being the longest-running. Supported by both the government and the World Food Programme (WFP), it addressed the region’s chronic food insecurity.
Under the Uganda Education Act of 2008, feeding school children is the responsibility of parents and guardians. The Parent/Guardian Led School Feeding Program encourages parents to send food to their children. However, the 2014 National Population and Housing Census revealed that 66% of primary school students did not receive school meals. Urban students (41%) were more likely to have meals compared to rural students (32%).
In 2018, Education Minister Janet Kataha Museveni spearheaded a campaign promoting home-packed meals, famously holding a lunchbox to raise awareness. Despite her efforts, the campaign faced significant criticism. A 2019 Finance Ministry report highlighted the limited success of home-packed meals, citing food shortages, inadequate packing materials, and a poor understanding of the link between nutrition and learning outcomes.
A 2020 evaluation by the National Planning Authority (NPA) found that many parents neglected their feeding responsibilities, assuming it was the government’s role. The NPA recommended a needs-based approach in areas where households genuinely struggle to provide meals, emphasizing the importance of clarity in policy communication.
Meanwhile, neighbouring countries like Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda have long-standing school feeding programs, with governments allocating resources to ensure students receive hot meals at school.
In some cases, these countries have adopted centralized cooking systems, where designated suppliers prepare food and deliver it to schools at mealtime. This approach allows for better control of food quality and ensures that nutritional standards are met, promoting consistency across schools.
Another major promise in the manifesto was the scrapping of fees and related charges in Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE) schools. However, given the conflicting views on the matter, President Yoweri Museveni ordered that the issue be brought to the people through village meetings.
The Ministry of Education was tasked with collaborating with local government counterparts to ensure that the opinions of all 68,000 villages in the country were gathered. Yet, with just one year remaining in the term, these meetings have to take place.
President Museveni has since stated that the Ministry of Education conducted a scientific study on the issue of school fees. Based on the findings of this study, the Cabinet approved the phased implementation of completely free education, starting with primary schools.
In addition, a budget of Shs1.48 trillion was approved to support the UPE program from the financial year 2024/2025 to 2027/2028. The first year was expected to receive Shs309.16 billion, but this allocation was not included in the budget.
The funds are aimed at tackling key challenges within the UPE system, with a particular emphasis on hiring 78,888 primary teachers to achieve a 40:1 pupil-teacher ratio by the 2024/25 financial year. This initiative focuses on 12,433 UPE schools facing staffing shortages, where the reliance on local contract teachers has led to the imposition of extra fees on students.
Peter Ogwang, the State Minister for Sports, said that negotiations between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance are ongoing to secure the necessary funding.
Apart from the discussions with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education is also in talks with school foundation bodies, many of which have rejected the policy. These bodies argue that without the necessary resources, such as adequate staffing and improved teacher welfare, schools could suffer, and the new policy may render their institutions ineffective-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
