Levels:Pre-primary, Primary, Secondary, University
Qualifications Attained: P.L.C, U.C.E, U. A.C.E, Degree/ Diploma
Governing Body : Ministry Of Education and Sports
Schools: Private, Public and International Schools.
Education in Uganda
Education in Uganda has moved places compared to back in the days. A large percentage of Ugandans has been able to acquire the necessary skills, to get jobs and develop Uganda at large through Education.
Uganda’s Education has different stages which one has to go through and these are; Pre- primary level, Primary level, Secondary School (includes the Ordinary and Advanced levels), University.
Many begin their education at an early age of four (4) and complete their undergraduate degrees at an average age of 23.
Pre- primary Education
In Uganda, this level of education is commonly known as ‘Nursery School’ which is attended by children of ages 3-6. It also has different stages which are; Baby class, Middle class and Top class. At this level children take at least two (2) years of studying how to read, write, spell, sing, and so many others after which they advance to the primary section.
Primary level
This is the longest level of Education in Uganda that lasts a minimum of seven (7) years. The classes range from Primary 1 (P.1) to Primary 7 (P.7). The average age for Primary 1 is 6 years. At this stage, pupils improve on their reading and writing skills, study about their surroundings in subjects like Social Studies (SST), and encounter more subjects like Science, Math, and English that becomes more advanced with the levels.
There are private and government primary schools of which the private ones are owned by individuals or companies and the rest are owned by the government and both follow a curriculum that is designed by the Ministry of Education and Sports.
At this level, one is awarded a PLC (Primary Leaving Certificate) on successful completion of Primary 7 that helps him or her to move on to Secondary level. Note: One cannot join secondary level without this certificate.
Secondary School
This level is further broken down into two levels ie; Ordinary level and advanced level.
Ordinary Level
This level is from Senior 1 – Senior 4. During Senior1, the student encounters about 18 subjects and is later able to choose at least 10 of them to carry on to Senior 3. One is awarded a Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) on successful completion of Senior 4.
Advanced Level
It is comprised of only 2 classes ie; Senior 5 & 6. Students here take on only 4 subjects in either Sciences or Arts. On successful completion of this level, one is awarded a Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE).
Schools are also owned by both the Uganda government and private individuals therefore government and private schools respectively.
University
At this level, the students are winding up and they major in a specific course e.g Engineering, Accounting, business etc. of which many courses last 3 years on Undergraduate degree programs while the diploma courses take at least 2 years. However, courses like medicine, Law, and some others can last up to 5 years.
The universities are also both private and government owned.
Note: Part of the Ugandan education follows the International syllabus at all levels of education in International schools located in the country.