By KT Reporter
The ongoing teachers’ strike and hilly terrain are impeding Baseline Education Census in Kigezi sub region, according to officials from Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS).
The 27 billion shilling exercise seeking to have research-based data on the current status of the education sector in the country started in May 2025 and has now reached Kigezi, Karamoja, West Nile, Tooro and Rwenzori regions. Other regions have already been covered.
However, Stephen Baryahirwa, the head of Social Surveys and Census Department at UBOS revealed to URN on Thursday that whereas in areas like Wakiso and Kampala, enumerators were using buses for transport, it is a different story in Kigezi region where they have opted to walking to access schools in hard to reach areas due to hilly terrain.
Baryahirwa also says that the ongoing teachers’ strike which started on August 15 has forced the enumerators halt carrying out census in many government primary schools due to absence of teachers and learners.
According to Baryahirwa, UBOS cannot halt the whole exercise because the strike happened when implementation had started. Baryahirwa however says the three weeks scheduled for the exercise to be done are likely not to be enough due to the challenges.
Kauda Aliziki Lubega, Director of Economic Statistics at UBOS urges parents to convince striking teachers to return to schools so that enumerators are able to collect accurate data in time. Lubega says it will be very sad when UBOS fails to pick data from Kigezi, Karamoja, West Nile, Tooro and Rwenzori regions because of striking teachers.
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