By KT Reporter
For years, Uganda’s early childhood education sector has been dogged by concerns over fragmentation, inconsistent quality, and practices widely viewed as inappropriate for very young children.
Now, a new government policy and its accompanying implementation standards seek to address these longstanding challenges, introducing sweeping reforms that touch on fees, learning conditions, child welfare, and sector financing.
A central issue has been the high and often unregulated fees charged by nursery schools and day care centres. Under the new framework, the government has moved to rein in these costs by empowering local governments to regulate and review charges deemed excessive or unjustified.
“Respective local governments shall be empowered to review and revise the fees charged by centres on the grounds of irrationality, excessiveness and misapplication,” the standards state.
The policy outlines clear criteria for determining reasonable fees, including prevailing market rates, location, the scope of services offered, and the financial capacity of parents within a given community. It also considers alternative sources of support, such as development partners and philanthropic organisations.
In a significant shift, schools will now be restricted to charging only tuition and a limited range of scholastic materials. A wide array of additional charges, long blamed for inflating education costs, has been expressly prohibited.
These include development fees and material contributions such as bricks, cement, and furniture, as well as payments for graduation ceremonies, school trips, themed clothing, admission, examinations, and even contributions toward school assets or loan repayments.
Parents dissatisfied with fees retain the right to seek redress from local authorities and, if necessary, escalate their complaints to the Ministry of Education.
The reforms respond to findings from a recent study, “Lay a Strong Foundation for All Children,” which highlights how rising private pre-primary fees have made early education unaffordable for many families. In some urban centres, termly fees reportedly reach 1.75 million shillings per child, surpassing costs for certain university programmes, while even modest fees in rural areas can limit access due to the scarcity of centres.
Education advocates have welcomed the reforms. Angella Kasule Nabwowe, the Executive Director of the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights, says excessive non-tuition charges have placed unnecessary strain on families and contributed to school dropouts.
To complement fee regulation and support private sector participation, the government has also introduced a revolving fund to provide affordable credit to ECCE providers. Managed through the Uganda Development Bank, the fund will draw from government, development partners, and other sources. Additional incentives, including subsidies and tax exemptions, are intended to encourage investment, particularly in underserved areas.
Beyond financing, the policy introduces strict guidelines aimed at protecting the well-being of young learners. ECCE centres are now expected to operate between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., a move designed to end the long-standing practice of subjecting children to excessively early starts and extended school days.
Where children are kept beyond official hours, centres must provide appropriate resting facilities and obtain approval from licensing authorities.
The reforms also address concerns about child transportation. For years, parents and educationists have criticised the practice of transporting children as early as 4:00 a.m. and returning them late in the evening. Under the new rules, children are not permitted to begin their journey to school before 7:00 a.m.
Transporters must comply with traffic and road safety regulations, including strict measures against overloading. Schools are also required to maintain registers of individuals who drop off and pick up children.
The policy further bans boarding facilities for children below six years, reinforcing the principle that early childhood education should remain home-based. However, limited exceptions are allowed in special circumstances, such as when parents are unable to provide care due to illness, work demands, or other justified conditions.
On learning and pedagogy, the framework emphasises a play-based curriculum, aligning with child development best practices. It also mandates the use of local languages as the primary medium of instruction, with English permitted in cosmopolitan areas alongside the dominant local language.
To improve learning outcomes, the policy sets recommended teacher-to-child ratios: one teacher for every 25 children aged three to five, and one to 15 for children aged one to two. For learners with multiple disabilities, the ratio drops to one to three, and one to one in severe cases.
However, questions remain about implementation, particularly in public schools where overcrowding is already a major concern. In some rural areas, ratios reportedly reach one teacher to 100 learners, raising doubts about how quickly the new standards can be realised.
While the policy marks a significant step toward reforming early childhood education in Uganda, its success will ultimately depend on enforcement, resource allocation, and the capacity of both government and private providers to meet the new requirements.
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