KAMPALA – A study has found it necessary for the Government to establish free pre-primary units at every primary school implementing universal primary education and make at least one year of pre-primary education compulsory and make additional years free over time, as expeditiously as possible.
The study by Human Rights Watch and the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER) indicates that the Government’s failure to provide this crucial service causes lifelong negative consequences on children.
“Fees for private preschools for children ages 3 to 5 create an insurmountable barrier for most families, particularly those in rural areas, and those with little income,” says report.
The 68-page report, “Lay a Strong Foundation for All Children”: Fees as a Discriminatory Barrier to Pre-Primary Education in Uganda,” documents how lack of access to free pre-primary education leads to poorer performance in primary school, higher repetition and drop-out rates, and widening income inequality. Fewer than 1 in 10 Ugandan children ages 3-5 are enrolled in a registered and licensed pre-primary school – known locally as “nursery” school – and 60 percent attend no school at all until they reach primary school. Pre-primary education refers to early childhood education before a child’s entry into primary school, which in Uganda is at age 6.
Jo Becker, children’s rights advocacy director at Human Rights Watch says that nursery has profound and lifelong benefits for children and it’s one of the best investments that societies can make.
“It has the power to transform lives to lift individuals out of poverty, to foster social and economic development. It boosts children’s educational attainment, their health, employment prospects, and their income as adults.”
She noted that brain development is at its highest in the early childhood years, so this is a critical time to make a difference.
However, she noted that here in Uganda, the majority of children miss out on this critical early learning because the majority of families cannot afford the fees charged by private providers.
“Some pre-primary schools here in Kampala charge more in fees than the tuition for an engineering degree at Macquarie University. On Friday, I met a woman in Mukono district. She’s a single mother with eight children and she really wanted her children to access pre-primary, but her income selling charcoal barely provided enough money to feed her family,” she said.
She emphasized that the research found that the lack of government-provided pre-primary education in Uganda has a range of negative impacts [because] children miss out entirely, or their education is interrupted when their parents are no longer able to afford the fees.
“Without nursery, children perform worse in primary school and are twice as likely to repeat primary one because pre-primary is so expensive.”
Dr. Safieldin Munir, UNICEF Country Director noted that access to quality pre-primary education is a child right.
He noted that nursery education globally has proven to contribute significantly to cognitive development for children, which means enhancing intellectual growth and problem-solving skills for children in the age group between three and five.
“It also enhances social and emotional development, which means for studying emotional intelligence, social skills, and resilience. It also enhances linguistic development which means boosting language acquisition and communication skills. It also enhances motor development, which means it improves coordination and physical abilities for children. Moreover, it enhances physical and helps development meaning that it promotes overall health and the well-being of this juvenile.
According to him, a study conducted by UNICEF at the ministry of education and sports has shown that every one shilling invested in pre-primary education yields 16.3 shillings as benefits to the country.
Joyce Moriku Kaducu, Minister of State for Primary education says they have been working with private investors to aid the government on this service and the government is working to provide the curriculum guidance on the minimum standards for school buildings, equipment and other relevant facilities for pre-primary institutions and ensuring that the teachers have the necessary qualifications.
Represented by Hajji Ismael Mulindwa, Director Basic and Secondary Education, Kaducu says they have also ensured that pre primary schools are licenced, registered and regularly inspected by government education inspectors.
“However, we are still grappling with a challenge of limited access to pre primary education especially in rural areas yet it is a vital stage in building the foundation for human capital development, and our country’s general social economic growth.”
She noted that a week ago, cabinet approved the ECC policy and “I think this is a very big milestone in the development of ECD.”
She pledged to discuss the recommendations of the report with top management, and hopefully, “the government if possible, will need to commit funds to provide the infrastructure, human resource and instructional materials to guarantee access to pre primary education especially in rural areas.”
The Ugandan government introduced free primary education in 1997 and free secondary education in 2007. Under its 2008 education law, however, pre-primary education is to be provided by private agencies, with parents responsible for the cost. Without access to government-funded pre-primary, the fees for some parents amount to several months’ income just for one child’s annual tuition. While there is a large variety between fees at preschools, those advertised by some are higher than the average tuition for some programs at Uganda’s leading university, Makerere University.
Uganda devotes only 8.4 percent of its national budget to education. By contrast, neighboring Kenya and Tanzania both allocate more than 18 percent of their national budgets to education. As part of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, all governments pledged to allocate at least 15 to 20 percent of public expenditures to education.
Study shows that because pre-primary school is not free, many parents enroll their children in primary school before the standard age of 6, even though the children are underage and often unprepared. Early enrollment in primary school creates overcrowded classes, exacerbates inefficiencies in the education system, and increases repetition rates. Children in Uganda who do not attend pre-primary school are twice as likely to repeat the first year of primary school, compared with children who attend pre-primary.
The government should make at least one year of pre-primary education compulsory and free for all children, and make additional years free over time, as expeditiously as possible, Human Rights Watch and ISER said.
“Children’s access to pre-primary schooling in Uganda should not depend on their parents’ ability to pay fees,” said Angella Kasule Nabwowe, executive director at ISER. “The government should move quickly to fulfill its promises to provide free pre-primary schooling for all children.”
Recommendations
To the Government of Uganda
Establish government-funded pre-primary units at every primary school implementing universal primary education.
Make at least one year of pre-primary education compulsory and free for all children, and make additional years free over time, as expeditiously as possible.
Immediately increase financial investment in the public education sector bearing in mind international benchmarks established in the 2015 Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action to dedicate 15 to 20 percent of the national budget to education, and the obligation to use maximum available resources for the realization of rights, including the right to education, and specific funding targets for pre-primary education.
Increase revenue for allocation to public education through progressive and fair taxation, and curbing illicit financial flows, other forms of corruption, and unjustified tax exemptions and tax abuse.
To the Ministry of Education and Sports and Parliament
Amend Section 10, subsection 2 of the Education (Pre-Primary, Primary, and Post Primary) Act of 2008 to obligate the government to fund and implement universal pre-primary education.
Until pre-primary education is provided free of charge, the Minister of Education should issue a statutory instrument to regulate school fees in pre-primary schools to increase access to pre-primary education for the greatest possible number of children.
Expand capacity for training and accreditation of teachers at pre-primary level at government teachers’ colleges and recruit trained and qualified pre-primary teaching personnel.
Conduct public education campaigns on the value of pre-primary education for children’s development and educational success.
Effectively regulate the private educational sector, ensuring that all pre-primary or “nursery schools and private primary schools with pre-primary classes are licenced, registered and regularly monitored.
