Under the slogan “We are evidence based”,Uganda Bureau of Statistics, has officially released the latest Education baseline census report to the public to utilise for planning purpose.
UBOS conducted the nationwide Baseline Education Census (BEC) across multiple phases through out 2025. The field data collection began in April 2025, continued through subsequent phases in June and September 2025, and concluded with mopping-up exercises in November 2025 covering all government and private formal education institutions, ranging from pre-primary to higher institutions.
The national exercise mapped 88,242 educational institutions and enumerated 13,575,145 learners across pre-primary, primary, secondary, and non-tertiary levels to improve evidence-based planning and service delivery in the education sector.
The report found out that in total there are 13,575,145. learners of which 9,118,314 learners are in primary,2,008,133 in secondary schools,2,374,674 pre-primary and tertiary 74,024 learners..
in his remarks during the launch UBOS Executive Director Dr Chris Mukiza, urged planners and decision-makers to utilise official statistics in driving Uganda’s socio-economic transformation agenda.
He said the report provides updated and comprehensive data on schools and non-tertiary educational institutions across the country.
“We shall continue to engage different stakeholders to disseminate and communicate these reports further. What now remains for planners and decision-makers is to turn these statistics and data into relevant actions for the socio-economic transformation of our country,” Mukiza said.
He commended Ugandans for increasingly recognising the value of official statistics and using data to demand accountability and improved service delivery.
“We appreciate the public for understanding the value of statistics. Many countries do not appreciate official statistics the way Uganda does,” he noted.
in his excitement Mukiza
Mukiza further thanked President Yoweri Museveni for promoting the use of statistics in governance, describing him as “a champion of statistics” whose public addresses frequently reference official UBOS data.
In the same spirit he also praised the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni, for spearheading the education census initiative aimed at strengthening Uganda’s Education Management Information System.
He further called on the public, institutions and policymakers to rely more on official national statistics instead of external data sources.
“Our statistics are more authentic because they are drawn directly from households and communities within our context,” he said.
in his concluding remarks Mukiza pledged to publish additional reports like preliminary Gross Domestic Product estimates, Gross National Income figures, and background statistical tables for the 2026/2027 national budget.
Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education Dr. Kedrace Turyagyenda noted that the detailed findings from the Baseline Education Census (BEC) 2025 will support planning for education access, school infrastructure, learner population distribution, and skills development across the country.
She commended UBOS for the e-dissemination platform, noting that the data and insights generated from the Baseline Education Census will support implementation of the Ministry’s Strategic Plan 2025/26–2030/31, including ongoing efforts to strengthen TVET and expand access to skills development opportunities across the country.
“We needed data from the Baseline Education Census because it is going to help the Ministry and Government plan for the provision of education services and identify the areas where the need is greatest,” said Dr. Kedrace Turyagyenda, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education and Sports (@EducandSports). The Baseline Education Census (BEC) 2025 highlights the importance of coordinated Government planning and the role of timely and reliable statistics in guiding implementation and supporting Uganda’s Vision 2040 development agenda.
Dr. Albert Byamugisha, Chairperson of the UBOS Board of Directors, commended the Government of Uganda under the leadership of H.E. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the NRM for the sustained investment in education. “The introduction of Universal Primary Education in 1997 and Universal Secondary Education in 2007 remains one of the most transformative social policies in Uganda’s history,” Dr Albert Byamugisha, UBOS Board Chairman noted, observing that the reforms expanded access to education for millions of children, particularly those from vulnerable and low-income households.
