Just two in every ten secondary schools across Uganda meets the minimum standards to be considered ICT-ready, a comprehensive new assessment has revealed, exposing a deep digital divide in the country’s education system.
The findings mean that more than 80 per cent of secondary schools still lack functional computer laboratories, reliable internet connectivity, adequate electricity or trained ICT teachers.
“Overall, 39% of schools are completely unplugged, 41% are semi-connected, and only 20% can be considered ICT-ready,” one of the key findings of report states.
The ICT Needs Assessment, titled From Unplugged to ICT-Ready: A Digital Readiness Assessment of Secondary Schools in Uganda, was conducted by UNICEF in collaboration with ministry of education and other partners under the Leaders in Teaching Uganda programme.
The study surveyed 3,257 secondary schools, representing 78 per cent of institutions registered with the Association of Secondary School Headteachers in Uganda (ASSHU), making it one of the most comprehensive assessments of school digital readiness ever undertaken in the country.
According to the report, Uganda’s secondary schools fall into three distinct digital readiness categories, namely ICT-ready, semi-connected and unplugged. The classification is based on key indicators such as the reliability of electricity supply, access to digital devices, and the quality and availability of internet connectivity.
Only 671 schools out of 3,257, representing 20 per cent, are classified as ICT-ready. These institutions enjoy reliable electricity, stable internet access, and relatively better device ratios.
“Learners in these schools have regular opportunities to engage with digital tools and e-learning content as part of their education,” the report notes.
The largest category consists of 1,372 schools, representing 41 per cent of the total, classified as semi-connected. Schools in this group are said to have electricity and some internet access, but connectivity is often intermittent, limited mostly to computer laboratories, or disrupted frequently.
“Frequent power and internet disruptions, combined with limited ICT support, can make it hard for teachers to integrate digital learning consistently into their teaching,” the report noted.
In contract, 39 percent or 1,277 schools, are completely unplugged. These schools have no internet access, often limited electricity, and the highest learner-to-device ratios, making meaningful digital learning virtually impossible for their students.
The distribution of these profiles reflects Uganda’s long-standing infrastructure inequalities. Unplugged schools are heavily concentrated in rural areas, particularly in the Northern and Eastern regions, while ICT-ready schools are more common in urban areas of the Central region.
Most government schools fall in the semi-connected category, suggesting that while public institutions have benefited from computer lab equipment in the past, unreliable connectivity continues to undermine their use. Private community schools fared worse, with 47 per cent (491 out of 1,040) found to be completely unplugged.
On average, there are between 29 and 50 learners per computer across schools, with some districts recording extreme shortages of up to 245 learners per device. Internet access remains critically low, with 38 per cent of schools reporting no connectivity at all and only 12 per cent enjoying school-wide coverage. Even where internet exists, frequent disruptions affect nearly one in three schools.
On a brighter note, 98 per cent of the assessed schools are connected to electricity, although only half enjoy a reliable supply of more than 16 hours per day. Fifteen per cent receive fewer than five hours daily.
The report also shows that more than 90 per cent of school headteachers consider digital learning essential, nearly 1,000 schools are already using e-learning platforms, and one in three schools receives some form of external ICT support. Schools with such support often have nearly double the number of devices.
The report warns that one-size-fits-all approaches risk being inefficient for ICT-ready schools and insufficient for unplugged ones, potentially widening existing gaps.
“School ICT profiles can serve as a practical framework for prioritising and sequencing investments under the Education Sector Strategic Plan and the National Digital Agenda Strategy,” the report recommends, adding that interventions must be grounded in schools’ starting conditions.
Janet Akao Abaneka, Education Officer and Technology and Education Innovation Consultant at UNICEF Uganda, said the findings provide critical information that will guide future investments by government and development partners to ensure resources are directed where the gaps are most pronounced.
Under the five-year Leaders in Teaching Uganda programme, supported by the Mastercard Foundation, UNICEF will support the development of a national e-learning management system, strengthen teachers’ digital skills, establish 15 smart classrooms in teacher training institutions, equip computer labs in 100 model schools, and promote cybersecurity, online safety and effective use of ICT in education.
The Ministry of Education has recently intensified its focus on ICT as a core competency for 21st-century learning through a national digital agenda. Available data shows the ministry will require about 1.3 trillion shillings over seven years to implement the strategy, translating to an annual budget of approximately 187.214 billion shillings.
Of this annual allocation, 1.19 billion shillings will support the development of localized digital content, curriculum design, e-learning systems, and teacher training in technology-enabled instruction. A further 185.9 billion shillings will go toward expanding access to ICT equipment, digital services, and connectivity infrastructure across learning institutions.
However, educationists say a stronger policy foundation is urgently needed. In a recent interview, Dr Stephen Ndawula, Senior Lecturer in Educational Technology at Kyambogo University’s Department of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Education Media noted that as the country discusses ICT readiness in schools, authorities must acknowledge that the Ministry of Education and Sports still lacks a comprehensive policy in this area.
He recommended a broader national baseline survey on ICT in education covering policy status, infrastructure and staff capacity. “The findings would provide evidence-based foundation for contextualising ICT initiatives to Uganda’s reality and aligning them with education digital agenda and emerging national ICT policies,” Dr Ndawula said-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
