The Uganda Bureau of Statistics has resumed a nationwide census of schools, aiming to accurately count students and teachers to inform government planning and resource allocation.
The Baseline Education Census, launched May 7 by Education Minister Janet Kataaha Museveni, was temporarily suspended due to the end of the first school term.
The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Sports, began the Baseline Education Census on April 7 ,2015. The initial phase focused on the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (Kampala, Wakiso, and Mukono districts). The census is scheduled to conclude on June 30, 2025, and will be rolled out to the rest of the country in subsequent phases.
Data collection commenced on 7th April 2025, starting with Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono), and will subsequently be rolled out to the rest of the country at the beginning of Second Term until 30th June 2025.
Diducus Okoth, Principal Communication Officer at UBOS, said the census will cover all regions, starting with the Central region, then moving to Eastern Uganda.
UBOS teams will collect education-related data from government and private primary schools, secondary schools and institutions of higher learning.
Teachers will support the process by collecting data for learners from nursery to Primary Five, including age, parents’ National Identification Number and date of birth. Students in Primary Six and above will be individually interviewed.
The census aims to tackle issues such as “ghost pupils” and teachers, which have resulted in financial losses and hampered effective service delivery.
Local officials appealed for cooperation, with Resident City Commissioner Asumin Nasike warning that anyone obstructing the exercise would be arrested.
The census is expected to provide accurate data to support national education policy development