INTRODUCTION Internationally , Universal Primary Education is defined as provision of free and compulsory basic education to all children of school

going age in the country by the government. In Uganda however, UPE was initially defined as provision of basic education to four children per house hold.in the provision of this education, both the government and the parents have financial obligations to meet. The government obligation is mobilization of resources, paying tuition fees through capitation grant, training of teachers etc. While the parents are to provide scholastic materials, school uniforms and basic requirement for survival.

With time however, the definition of UPE has been reviewed to reflect the changing circumstances. It is now defined as the provision of basic education to at! Ugandan children of school going age. Thus UPE in Uganda is not free because both the government and the parents have financial obligation to meet in the education of the children. It is not also compulsory for parents to send their children to school, as there is no act of parliament to make it mandatory, BACKGROUND Education is a necessary condition for development in the widest sense, because empowering people, especially the poor with basic cognitive skills is the surest way to render them self-reliant. The ability to read and write, for example, Is crucial in the acquisition and application of modern production and marketing skills. In agriculture for instance, the farmer's capacity to adopt new yield-raising methods depends largely on his or her ability to at least read the message directed to him or her. There is evidence to show that a mothers education is an important factor in improving, nutrition, family planning and reducing infant mortality. It has been noted that primary education in particular has a significant impact on economic growth of a country and enhances earnings of individuals who have benefited from it According to Psacharopuolost social rates of return for those who have completed primary education are very high at 27% as compared to 17% for secondary and 13% for higher education. The history of advanced countries shows that the development of the base of the education pyramid, that is, primary education, always comes before development of secondary and higher education. Therefore, ensuring Universalization of education is recognized as both a desirable goal and a development challenge.

The need for free primary education was emphasized by the United Nations General Assembly (1948), This assembly adopted the universal declaration of human rights, which among other things stated that: "Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free for at least the elementary and fundamental stage".. "Governments must make firm political commitments and allocate sufficient resources to all components of basic education" and that "no countries seriously committed to Education for All will be thwarted in their achievement of this goal by Sack of resources. Funding agencies should coordinate their effort to provide flexible development assistance...''

To supplement previous efforts towards education for alt, the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) conference held in Dakar (2002) identified bridging the education gap as one of the most important strategies to eradicate poverty. This was to be achieved by working hand in hand with donors and multilateral bodies to achieve the international goal for universal primary Education by2015. In Uganda, the great potential of primary education, as an engine of economic and social development was recognized right from independence in 1962. Prior to this, the education system was narrow and elitist and hence alienated the majority of the citizens from participating in it.

In 1997, another Education Policy Review Commission was appointed. This commission made recommendations, which were not implemented because of the political climate at that time. Also, the 198284 recovery programme, which aimed at making primary education available to the children, remained more of a wish than a reality because of the political turmoil that diverted resources from education to military operations.

It was not until 1987, when EPRC was reappointed to review the education system. It recommended policy reforms right from primary to tertiary education. They further pointed out that primary education is the only formal education that most Ugandan children can ever hope to receive. The commission also noted that primary education is a good foundation upon which the subsequent education levels are built therefore it should be taken critically.

Four years later, in 1991, the government decided to implement measures designed to reverse the declining trends in the quality of education over the past two decades. In a policy statement contained in the "Back ground to the budget, June 1991" government declared its sectorial strategy on primary education as follows: The focus for the new decade and beyond will be primary education in terms of both universal and high qualify... This entails shining resources from secondary and tertiary institutions particularly where there are being used for non - instructional subsidies toward primary level,.. During the same year the government appointed the white paper committee to examine the EPRC report and identify the recommendations; which are acceptable and feasible to implement and make amendment where necessary. The government white paper committee accepted the EPRC report on education and in April 1992, the government white paper was published which contained all the approved reforms on education system.

Consequently a programme called the Primary Education Reform Program (PERP) was created and launched in 1993. The overall goal for PERP was to improve the quality and equity of primary education and its objectives include: 1 - Improving access and equity to basic education; 2- Enhancing quality through training teachers;

3- Strengthening capacity for education training and management; In order to implement PERP a project called Primary Education and Teacher Development Project (PETPP) was designed as a trailblazer for achieving UPE, which was to be implemented later.

The adaptation of the new constitution in 1995 provided a further foundation upon which basic education in Uganda was to be developed. In Article 30. the constitution states thus," Ail persons have a right to education...". The constitution also made it the obligation of the government to provide basic education to its citizens, Article 30 Clause XV7// states thus: The state shall provide free and compulsory basic education... The state shall take appropriate measures to afford every citizen equal opportunity to attain the highest level of education standard possible.... Finally the children statute of 1996 (Article 28) further emphasized the responsibility of the state in providing basic education by stating that: The child has a right to educate and the states duty is to ensure that primary education is free and compulsory. The state snail engage in international cooperation to implement this right... A combination of factors that include global movements for basic education, a clear education policy framework, prioritizing basic education, and an elaborate legal framework provided a conducive environment for implementation of UPE in the country. It was therefore not surprising that when the first direct election for the post of the president of the republic of Uganda was taking place, president Museveni made it as one of his platform issues a pledge to provide free primary education to four children per family. Consequently after being elected, the president fulfilled his pledge. He called a national conference and announced that the implementation of UPE was to begin in January 1997. DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES UPE was designed in 1997 as a national programme aimed at providing free education for 4 children per family. It is funded jointly.-by international development partners (Funding agencies), Government of Uganda and the community. it is implemented by the Local government and has 5 main components, which include, infrastructure expansion, Payment of tuition fees, supply of qualified teachers, review of the primary school curriculum, and increased supply of instructional materials. OBJECTIVES The Overall objective of Universal Primary Education is to increase access, equity and quality of primary education in Uganda. Its specific objectives include: a) Establishing, providing and maintaining quality education as the basis for promoting necessary Transforming society in a fundamental and positive way. b) Providing the minimum necessary facilities and resources to enable every child to enter and remain in school until the primary cycle of education is complete, c) Making basic education accessible to the learner and relevant to his or her needs as well as meeting national goals. d) Making education equitable in order to eliminate disparities and inequalities. e) human resource development

f) Ensuring that education is affordable by majority of Ugandans. g) By aiming to achieve UPE, government would be fulfilling its mission to eradicate illiteracy while equipping every individual with the basic skills and knowledge with which to exploit the environment for both self and national development. MAIN COMPONENTS OF UPE The UPE programme was designed with five components including Infrastructure provision, Capitation grant qualified teacher provision, primary school curriculum review and provision of instructional materials. These were areas' that were critical to providing basic education. Infrastructure Provision Under this component, government undertook to construct and furnish new facilities (i.e. classrooms, sanitary facilities and teachers houses) and complete unfinished classrooms. Eighteen three- seater desks were provided to each classroom built The objective of this component was to expand facilities to accommodate increased enrolments. In order to achieve this, government set the following targets; Classroom: Pupil ratio of 1.55, Desk: pupil ratio of 1:3, Latrine: Pupil ratio of 1:40, and at least 4 teachers' houses per school. Capitation Grant Within this component, government took over the responsibility of payment of tuition fees for four children per family there by relieving parents of the burden of payment of school fees. This guaranteed resources to schools, necessary resources for running school activities. These include; extra instructional / scholastic materials, co-curricular activities, management of the school and administration. The grant was targeted'at .only government-aided primary schools and was computed annually as follows; UgShs 5000 per pupil in P1P3 and Ug Shs 8100 per pupil in P4-P7. Families to benefit from this grant included; Monogamous families, Polygamous families, Single parent families and Orphans whose parents are both dead Provision of qualified teachers When UPE was announced, many children were attracted to school. Increasing enrolments therefore necessitated an increase in the number of teachers. In order to improve the quality of instruction, there was a need to increase the supply of qualified teachers. Government guaranteed funding for payment for additional teachers and for clearing salary arrears. Primary School Curriculum review The review of the primary school curriculum was aimed at making basic education relevant to the needs of individuals by equipping every individual with basic skills. This was to help develop functional literacy and numeracy, effective communication skills in local languages, appreciation of diversity in cultural practices, traditions and social organizations, acceptance of variety of social beliefs and values. Provision of instructional materials As a result of increased enrolments government undertook the responsibility to provide increased instructional materials. It was aimed at ensuring quality and equity through improving access and usage of scholastic materials.

Instructional materials in primary schools include: Core text books, Teacher's guides, supplementary text books and basic teachers' professional references and pedagogic materials, pupils' basic reference books (Atlas and Dictionaries), Supplementary reading books and learning aids specifically wall charts.

UPE implementation strategies Table 3.5 Procurement of instructional materials in primary schools between 1996 and 2002

Items 1996 1997 1998 procured Textbooks 783,556 2,112,104 1,492,186 Teachers 236,816 549,150 guides 485,195 Source: Instructional materials provision 1999 and 2000 IMPLEMENTATION ACTIVITIES FOR UPE

2000 1,171,235 637,811

2001 5,594,000 673,533

2002 3,426,000 686,297

The Implementation of UPE involved several activities at different levels. Different key actors are involved and each has roles. Infrastructure provision Provision of infrastructure involves many activities and actors. The major activities include; planning and budgeting, release of funds, accounting and reporting, monitoring and evaluation at different levels. Planning and budgeting This phase is carried out at the Centre, the district and the school and it involves the following activities and key players. At the national level, MoFPED communicates to the districts SFG budget ceilings. MOES waits for the approval of district SFG annual work plan and budget. The school management committee together with the Iocal communities are responsible for the preparation of school SFG annual work plans and consolidates this plan to sub county annual work plans. These are submitted to the district Release of funds At the national level, PS /MOES advises PS/MoFPED on SFG release to the district depending on submission of satisfactory district annual SFG budget and signed letter on understanding between MOES and the district MoFPED releases the SFG fund to the district as a conditional grant. At the district level, the CAO and the DEO releases the fund to the contactor in form of payment for the construction work, Accounting and Reporting The district operates an SFG bank account whose book of accounts must be closed at the end of the financial year. Any balance on this account is remitted back to the central treasury. Payment to the contractors is made after of work is and all tie signatories make authorization of payment. Monitoring and Evaluation At the national level, MOES visits the district at least every 2months to verify compliance of the

activities of SFG implementation and appraise the district progress in the SFG implementation. The MOES enhances its decentralized monitoring capacity through the engineering assistants based at the districts and by subcontracting monitoring tasks to private firms. The treasury inspectorate (MoFPED), the inspectorate, department (MoLG) and presidents office carries out monitoring periodically. The district monitors and evaluates the school performance and contractors in the implementation of SFG at the district level. The LC's and the SMC's do daily monitoring and evaluation of the contractor. Designing and format of content NCDC was mandated to design the curriculum. It appointed a task force that was aimed at achieving the objectives. The taskforce had to identify the subjects, develop the subject objectives, select subjects that suited the national vision, aims and objectives, to develop competence, develop the syllabus and teachers guides, propose time tabling and the assessment of modality. It was also responsible for trailing the curriculum and updating it Monitoring was aimed at responding to the changing national and international environment and to conform to the national constitution. After ail this had been done, a draft copy of the reviewed curriculum was produced.

Table 3.6 The implementation components, strategies, activities and arrangements of UPE Component Strategies Activities Arrangements Actors Roles infrastructure -Construction of -Preparation of MOFPED -Communicates the provision new facilities work plans SFG ceilings. (Classrooms, Teachers houses -Procurement of -Disbursement of and pit latrines) contractors/ funds suppliers of -Completion of furniture. -Provision of Clsssrooms -Parents and supplimenting towards infrastructure provision. -Disbursement of funds Accounting and reporting -Monitoring and evaluation MOES technics! assistance -Approves the district annual work plans and budgets -Monitor use of the grant

District/ municipality -Prepared, reviewed, approved and submit the district annual workplan for SFG -Signs letter understanding between the district and MOES. -Carries out field appraisals Procure and pay the project contractors -Operate SFG Bank account Prepare sub-county work plans SMC

-Resource mobilization and disbursement of funds

Disbursement of funds

MOPPED

-Accounting and reporting -Supervision, monitoring, and evaluation

MOES

-Communicates the UPE district budget ceilings -Disbursement of the support to conditional grant as a the district on request grant -Monitoring districts -Give technical -Analyse and approve district annual work plans. -Verify enrolment figures -Monitor the districts and the schools

District

-Consolidate sub-county work plans -Disbursement of funds to schools -Prepare school UPE work plans -Manage the UPE bank accounts. -Provide school enrolment to the district -Make Budgetary provisions for education sector -Disburse funds for teachers' salaries to districts -Set teacher ceilings against budget provisions by MOFPED -Communicate staff ceiling to the district -Management of the payroll -Advertising Job vacancies -interview teachers -Short listing teachers -Appointing teachers Declares -vaccancies to DSC Deploys teachers -Communicate staff ceilings to the DEO

Schools

Provision of qualified teachers

-Formulate teacher requirements plan by district -Rationalization of teacher requirements with the budget -Disbursement of wage bill funds to districts as a conditional grant

-Identifying and declaring vacancies in schools -Forwarding vacancies to district service commission -Application for vacancies is done and short
list made

MOFPED ivivyi i lL/

MOES

MOES -The district service commission interview the applicants -Submission of names to the public service commission commission includes the manes in the pay roll DSC

DEO

-Identifies vacancies and declares them to the CAO -Communicate staff ceilings for the schools. -Communicate teacher requirements to the DEO -Initiates process of placing teachers on the payroll. -Approval of the curricula -Reviewed the curricula.

Head Teachers i

Curriculum review

-Set up a task force and subject panels

-Form curriculum task force -Formation of subject penal

MOES

NCDC

Subject panels Provision of instructional materials -Central procurement and centralized allocation of resources -Distribution of the learning materials to districts, which in turn distribute them to schools. -Procurement -Consolidate the district orders -Distribute text books to districts and to schools -Training -Monitor text book delivery Ministry of Education and (MoES) Project implementation Unit (PIU)

-Formulation of the syiiabi -Policy formulation -Approving the learning materials. -Central procurement of learning materials -Distributing learning materials to districts -Monitoring utilisation of the learning materials at school level -Requesting for and receiving the textbook orders from districts -Consolidating the textbook orders and making central bulk

Instructional Materials Unit (IMU)

purchase -Distributing the textbooks to districts -Providing training to districts education staff on instructional materials utilization and conservation. -Monitoring textbook utilization, conservation, stock control and management District education officers -Consolidating individual book orders for schools

Submitting consolidated textbook orders to the IMU

-Distributing text books to schools -Monitoring textbook utilization at school level Head teachers -Mobilizing the school heads of departments to identify the text book requirement of the school -Compile the list of textbook required and submit to DEOs office -Ensure proper textbook utilization and storage

Teacher(heads of departments)

-Identify the required textbooks

-Compile the list of textbooks required at their individual departments Class teacher -Making the best use of the textbooks

-Ensuring conservation of textbooks School management committee Source: MOE VARIOUS REFORMS INNOVATIONS ARISING FROM UPE ACTIVITIES The implementation of UPE as one of the primary education reforms programs has triggered a number of reforms and innovations. Reforms A shift in the responsibility of payment of tuition fees Unlike other countries, in Uganda the burden of financing primary education fell more on the parent than on the central government budget (Local authority financing of education was non-existent in most localities). On the basis of 1989/90 household budget survey, parental financing of primary education was about 1.9% of GDP, where as central government expenditure on education was only 0.6% of GDP. Ian leggette stated; " By the mid-1990's, parents across Uganda were struggling to pay schools fees, the largest recurrent household expense for many families. The costs of education were equivalent to about one-fifth of the annual income of an average Ugandan family... almost one third of school-age Ugandan children were not enrolled in school at all." When UPE was implemented there was a reform in the way tuition fees were paid in that the responsibility now falls on the government who caters for four children per family. A shift in the responsibility for the provision of infrastructure to primary schools Before the implementation of UPE in 1997, the quality of infrastructure in primary schools and the availability of desks and chairs varied and depended on the resources provided by the parents and communities. Schools with wellestablished PTAs' had better infrastructure compared to those with weak mobilization of resources by the parents -To witness textbook receipt at school

The responsibility in the provision of infrastructure in primary schools shifted after UPE implementation from the hands of the parents to the government. There has been an expansion in school facilities and completed the unfinished classrooms. This has improved the teaching and learning environment in schools.

The Modality and finance for provision of instructional materials

Before UPE, schools had no responsibility of vetting of textbooks. There was an acute shortage of textbooks although books were distributed through the 3rd and 4th IDA (1 set of books to six pupils). Teacher guides were in short supply. About 15% of primary schools reported having a library in 1989 census,, but most of these schools did not have any books in the library. Teaching equipment and materials, particularity in sciences was non-existent. In most primary schools, the learning process was reduced to the accumulation of factual knowledge through memorizing notes or copying facts from the blackboard.

When the launching of UPE however, government has provided finance in the recurrent budget for the provision of instructional materials that have been made available to schools. Schools are now empowered to make their own choices of core textbooks that are needed in school. A percentage of the capitation grant is also set aside for the purchase of supplementary non-core textbooks.

Reform in the management of the teacher pay roll In the past, there was inefficiency in transferring teacher's salaries from central government to district government and then to the schools, Corruption was rampant among the officials responsible for salaries in central and district governments. In addition to that, teachers took long get on the pay roll even after being posted to schools. Teacher arrears accumulated and some teachers quit the teaching profession to try alternative means of survival.

With the implementation of UPE, the management of the payroll has improved. A teacher who has been appointed and posted to a school is put on the payroll with in the first 3 months, therefore assured of payment. Teachers are paid through their bank accounts to avoid diversion of salaries by head teachers. INNOVATIONS Formulation of strategy for Education of disadvantaged children Despite the implementation of UPE in the whole country, it was not accessible to all children in Uganda. This includes children in conflict areas, refugees' children, children of army men, children with disabilities, children in nomadic areas and urban poverty areas. Like all poverty-focused programmes, UPE targets the poor and disadvantaged. Since its implementation in 1997, there has been a positive impact measured by the level of education of the poor and other disadvantaged. Various initiatives have been formed to cater for the above. Education of children with special learning needs was introduced. This included children with hearing impairment Visual impairment, Mental retardation, and physical impairment and by 1999 a total of 150,559 children were in school 82,537 were male and 68,022 were female.

Table 4.1 Enroimenf by category and gender. Category Male Hearing impairment 27,462 Visual impairment 13,279 Mental retardation 24,320 Physical impairment 22,476 Total 82,537 Source; Policy statement to the parliament 2001.

Female 18,48015,389 to nnc 16,148 IU,UVJ 68,022

Total 40,972 28,668 /IT 38,624 OOC 150,559 ~te.,\j c.\j

The government has procured over 1000 Braille kits, Reams of Braille paper, and 1000 sign language manuals, 12 showdown tables and sound balls for children with special needs. Girls Education Movement (GEM), is an Africa wide popular movement that was launched in 2001. It aims at promoting quality education for giris, promote girls enrolment rate,, develop their leaderships and technical skills, tap the potential boys, men, and women willing to assist, pay in the attention to girls with special needs .and mobilize communities in the promotion of the movement. The strategy is to use girls' education networks. Uganda is part of this movement, and the ministry of education and the Forum for African women Educationists (FAWE) are spearheading GEM in Uganda. GEM is also meant to reinforce the other schemes such as the national strategy for Girls' Education in Uganda. (Policy statement to the parliament 2002/03) Basic Education for Urban Poverty Areas (BEUPA) focuses on the urban poverty areas and cooperates closely with the Kampala city council. Its main objective is to combat crime and address the needs of out of school children in Kampala. (ESIP mid-term review 2003). Its important to note that enrolment has raised form 1..800 in 1997 to 3,500 in Feb. 2003 : 42 learning centers constructed, and 90 instructors trained and deployed to the centres.

Complementary Opportunities to Primary Education (COPE) is a programme designed for children who have either never attended school., or who dropped out before acquiring basic skills, literacy and are aged 1016 years. It has a practical and flexible curriculum, which is responsive to the needs of the communities, with short school timetable of 3 to 4 hours a day. This leaves plenty of time for children to participate in socio-economic that them. From the COPE annual report 2001, we learn that this programme is performing in 9 districts, which include; Arua, Bushenyi, Kamuli, Masaka, Mubende, NebbJ, Mbarara, Kaiangala, and Kisoro. Package for teachers in hard to reach areas In the past, teachers avoided working in remote areas. This was considered in the implementation of UPE. There was a need to motivate teachers to work in hard to reach areas. The motivation packages for teachers in hard to reach areas has been developed which includes some top up allowances. The definition applies to areas with persistent harsh conditions and includes those with poor and unreliable road network, difficult terrain, nomadic life style, isolated areas Sike islands, areas with poor provision and lack of social amenities, hostile communities, insecurity, lack of housing and inadequate water supply. This incentive scheme though still modest is expected to boost the capacity of especially rural schools to attract and retain good quality teachers. It is yet to be implemented and planned that teachers in these areas will receive an allowance equivalent to 20% of their monthly salary and the areas covered are Kalangala., Moroto., Kotido, Nakapiripirit and Buvuma Islands in Mukono. MOES will always review guidelines to extend the 20% incentives to other areas that will be identified as deserving.

Disaster Preparedness When UPE was implemented in 1997, the arrangement did not configure the civil unrest factor. But the insecurity in the northern and western parts of the country increased. Government formulated a program of disaster preparedness to consider children residing in armed conflict zones. Currently the programme is operational in the districts of Gulu, Kitgum, Moyo, Adjumani, Arua, Lira, Apac, Masindi, Kabarole, Bundibugyo, and Kasese. Multi grade teaching Universal primary education was meant for all pupils of school going age in the country therefore, schools were started even in sparsely populated areas and so the population of the school was low, i.e. Teachers and pupils. This therefore necessitated the formulation of multigrade teaching. This programmed involves teaching of different grades in one classroom by one teacher. It has been piloted in kalangala ami sembabule districts, Double shift teaching Between the end of 1996 and Feb 1997, enrolment more than doubled, that is at 73% increase in enrolment from 3,068,625 to 5,303,564 in just one year and since then enrolment has continued to rise and now stands at 7.3 million. Efficiency measures are being piloted at primary school level intended to address the problem of big classes resulting from the high enrolments. This included double shift teaching. This programme involves teaching two groups of pupils of the same grade but in different shifts, i.e. morning and evening. Payment of arrears of allowances to the 119 teachers who piloted the system was monitored in Fortportal, Tororo and Mbale. The programme is suitable in schools with high enrolments and few teachers to handle. The above has been piloted in the municipalities of Fortportal, Tororo and Mbale where as MOES has started sensitization seminars for stakeholders in the districts of Masaka, Rakai, Fortportal, Mbale, Kabale, and Kiboga.

Table 4.2 Reforms and innovations arising from the implementation of various components of UPE Components Reform innovation Outcome Infrastructure provision i -A shift in the -Separate Latrine stances for responsibility for the girts, Boys and teachers provision of infrastructure -Construction of teacher houses to -Better infrastructure developed quality was

primary schools Capitation grant -A shift in the -Formulation of strategy for -Parents were responsibility of Education of disadvantaged children relieved from the provision of tuition fees burden of fees -Shit of responsibility -Multi-grade payment of RLE fees learning and double shift -Disaster Preparedness for -Increase in the number of pupils sitting for PLE -Education for

Provision of qualified teachers

disadvantaged children -Reform in the -Package for teachers in hard to reach -Guaranteed management of teacher areas employment payroll -District Service Commission was -Relevance of the curriculum setup -Continuous assessment of learning achievement -Volume 1 and volume 2 of the curriculum

Curricula review Provision of Instructional materials

-The Modality and -Decentralized procurement of finance for provision of instructional materials, insiructionai materials -The review of the procurement cycle from 18 months to 12 months. This has enhanced timely procurement and distribution to schools -Centra! distribution of learning materials to districts.

Source:MoES

FINANCIAL RESOURCES Primary teachers wage bill Before UPE was implemented, teachers were paid six months or more, later than expected. Teachers' arrears accumulated to salary for over 5 years. But with the introduction of UPE teachers receive their salaries on time. Teachers have been motivated by timely remuneration. Teachers access the payroll on time, that is, in about three months from the when they are appointed. The primary teacher wage bill has been guaranteed in the recurrent budget and it is not subject to budgetary cuts. Teachers are guaranteed payment even before being appointed. The recruitment process for teachers has also become transparent. We observe from the table below that the total wage bill has increased by about 70% over the last five years and yet the number of teachers have increased by 34%. This indicates that teachers' payment has increased since UPE implementation. Therefore they are motivated to offer proper teaching and hence quality education. Table 5,9 Teachers' payment from 1998 to 2002 Year | 1998/1999 1999/2000 2000/2001 2001/2002 Number of teachers 86,348 88,048 101,818 115,453 Total wage bill (billions) Average annual Salary per Teacher Resources for UPE activities There has been an increasing flow of financial resources for funding quality primary education. The table below shows expenditure on improving teachers training, replacement of instructional materials, improving pupil: teacher ratio, school funding through the capitation grant, ensuring PLE completion, reducing pupil: classroom ratio., and increasing the book: pupil ratio. There was an increase in financial resources for all activities over the years. Resources for training of teachers doubled from UgShs 9.996 billion in 1998/99 to UgShs 20.062 billion in 2001/2002. Resources for replacement of instructional materials also increased from 4.32 billion Uganda shillings in 1998/99 to 11.03 billion shillings in 2000/1. In 2001/2 no book were replaced. Teacher wage bill has also been increasing alongside UPE grant, construction funds, and funds for procuring textbooks. In 1998/99, there were no resources for PLE fees because individual candidates paid their own PLE fees, But from 1999/00, the government of Uganda has been paying PLE fees for all UPE pupils. This is summarised in-the table below. 100.00 1,158,104,4 99.73 1,132,677,6 121.02 1,188,591,4 168.69 1,461,114

Table 5.10 Financial resources on UPE in billion UgShs from 1998 to 2002 Aim Activities 1998/99 1999/00 Improve teacher training Pre-service 4.948 5.89 training Won Wage Pre-service 4.393 4.8 training wage In-service 0,655 2,5 framing non wage In-service 0 1.05 training wage Total training 9.996 14.24 Recurrent Improve book ratio 4.32 3.78 Instructional materials (Replacement) Improve Pupil Teacher ratio Teacher wage bill 96.176 103.1 Provide school funding UPE grant (Tuition) Ensure PLE completion PLE fees Reduce pupil: Classroom Construct ratio classrooms Increase book: pupil ratio Text book Source: Education MTBF spreadsheet procurement P.7 Completion Rate 31.663 o 18,632 9.88 38.410 1.5 33.97 10,5

2000/1 3.5

2001/2 7.774

4.859 4. ,366 4,7 5.258

1.8 14.366 11.03

2.171 20.062 0

126.831 38.559 2.072 48.304 9.206

169.560 41830 1.081 53.540 15.660

The effect of UPE on completion of primary seven is promising. Primary seven enrolments have been increasing together with those that sit primary seven exams. Below is a table showing number of pupils that sat primary seven, those that enroled and the PIE completion rate.

Table 5.13 P7 completion rates for the years 1991 to 2002. Year PLE candidates P7 Enrolments 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 151,366 154,254 155,488 158,192 173,560 185,115 211,749 250,728 270,499 304,636 349,443 401,496 183,000 181,977 155,556 164,503 178,996 195,275 242,816 297,640 361,841 384,403 428,004 414,136

PLE Completion rate (%) 82.71 84.77 99.96 96.16 96,96 34.80 87.21 84,24 74.76 79J4 1.64 96.95

Source: Education statistical abstracts and UNEB results sheet F/g 8: PLE Completion rate High completion rates indicate a good quality education system. From the graph above we observe that after 1997, the completion rate was declining because many pupils were enrolled in P7 and yet they could not pay examination fees. In the year 2000, PLE examination fee was scraped therefore most of the pupils who enrolled in P7 were able to complete. In 2000 the completion rate was about 79.2% and by 2Q02 had raised to about 97% an increase of about 15% between 2001 and 2002. If we follow the trend we note that about 100% of the P7 pupils will sit PLE examinations this year. Pass Rates in National Examinations Good grades are an indicator of good quality instruction. In Uganda, PLE results are graded in 5 divisions, division 1,2,3,4 and U, A pupil passes if they obtain either division 1,2,3 or 4, Division U also called Unclassified is obtained when a student fails. Below is a table showing the PLE results from 1991 to 2002. Table 5.14 Primary seven results for the years 1991 to 2002 (Percentage) Division 1 2 3 4 Total pass U 1991 1992 11.8 8.6 1-7 28.1 12.4 12.1 A 19.8 20.6 Of 81 .U 69.4 19.0 30.8 1993 11.0 28.5 16.3 19.8 75.6 24.4 1994 10.4 28.8 13.1 20.4 72.7 27.3 1995 10.9 29.3 13.6 22.1 75.9 24.1 1996 1997 8.5 33,5 12.9 21.1 76
24.0

1998 9.6 32.7 14.4 21.4 78.1 21.9

1999 11.4 35.6 12.2 22.0 81.2 18.8

2000 7.8 35.3 18.0 17.4 78.5 21.5

2001 8.3 36.S 19.2 14.4 78.8 21.2

2002 8.9 33.7 19.5 12.4 74.5 25.5

10.8 37.1 14.2 19.7 81.8 18.2

Source: UNEB Fig 8: PIE Results indicating Pupils who passed and failures (Percentage) between 1991 and 2002 Relevance of the Curricula improved The previous Primary Curriculum was largely academic and examination oriented, with summarized examinations being administered by UNEB at the end of the seven-year cycle. There were only 4 core subjects being taught at primary level This had an effect on the quality of education being

attained by the pupils. The curriculum was not meeting relevant basic needs of the community. Subjects in the former curriculum included; English, Mathematics, Science and Social studies. With the reviewed primary school curriculum, a number of subjects have been included. This has widened the scope of primary education leading to a wider range in acquisition of skills and knowledge needed by the community and the pupils. Therefore the quality of education in primary schools is improving. (Education for al! assessment. 2000) Between November 1996 and March 1997, a study on status and community opinion about quality of basic education was carried out by institute of statistics and applied economics, Makerere University. The study indicates that the literacy rate among the population aged 10 and above years is 81% and 65% ,for male and female respectively. These findings show that within these years the level of literacy has increased which is one of the indicators of quality change in education. However, in the late 90's a study on tie same issue was showing low literacy level, which is 64% for male and 45% for female (EFA assessment 2000). The implementation of UPE has brought about attitude change to both parents and pupils. Due to the different promotion programmes for UPE, such as sensitizing the community on the importance of basic education and about the girl child education, there was attitude change. The pupils now look at school as a place where one studies so that they can get a job and become an important person in society. Parents are now willing to provide scholastic material for their children on time and make sure the children go to school everyday. This attitude change has got direct relation to quality change in basic education, (Implementing Universal primary education: Effect on schools communities and pupils, 1997) OTHER OPPORTUNITIES THAT HAVE RESULTED FROM THE IMPLEMENTATION OF UPE ACTIVITIES Reinforcement of efforts for girl education In table 7.1.1 below, we observe that when UPE was implemented in 1997 the number of girls that were enrolled increased at a high rate; in addition to that the number of girls receiving primary education has also been increasing. The problem of among girls has declined because they are encouraged to stay longer in schools through the various initiatives that are part of the UFE provision. For example the promotion of girl child education schemes, aims at improving girls retention and performances at school. The community mobilization sensitizes both parents and children about the importance of educating a girl child. More girls have been consequently encouraged to stay longer at school. Table 7.1 The percentage contribution of female enrolment to total enrolment between 1993 and 2002 Year 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Female to total enrolment rate 44,9 45.6 45.4 46.3 46.6 47.3 47.5 48.2

2001 2002

48.9 49.4

Source; Education statistical abstracts Provision of employment opportunities Before UPE was introduced, schools had low enrolment rates therefore employment opportunities for teachers were low. Construction was in the hands of parents and instructional materials were obtained from abroad. But after its introduction, there was need to expand the schools and materials therefore creating employment opportunities for many Ugandans, right from the centre to the communities. To enhance the monitoring and supervision process of the programme by the ministry of education and sports, 56 Engineering assistants were recruited and trained on SFG modality. At the district level many job opportunities were also created which different cadres of people filled. District mobilisation or sensitisation team were recruited and trained by the local government on their respective responsibility roles and procedures of implementing School's Facilities Grant. There was an increase in non-teaching staff in schools i.e. the office assistants, Technical staff and others like watchmen and cooks. Before the implementation of UPE in 1997, schools had high numbers of nonteaching staff because of the parents' contributions but the number went down after the UPE guidelines were put in place. The table below shows the number of non-teaching staff employed between 1995 and 1998. Table 7.2 Number of non-teaching staff in schools between 1995 and 1998. Year Office assistants Technical staff Other Total Total 4934 1995 1054 140 3740 4934 8081 1996 1334 388 6361 8081 1997 1249 529 6128 7906 7906 1998 1698 501 7691 9890 9890

Source: Educational statistical abstracts for 1996-1997 and 1998. Strengthening Of Vocational and Technical Institutions Before the implementation of universal Primary Education, UPE, Market for vocational and technical institutes were very low. These institutions were not attracting much interest from the community and the government. But when UPE was launched, it became necessary to take initiative to rehabilitate these institutions to prepare for the graduates from technical schools who are absorbed by technical schools after graduating from primary school. The rehabilitation was to improve the status of these institutions and improve the quality of post primary technical education. As a result 14 technical and vocational schools were rehabilitated in the financial year 2000/2001.

Table 7.3 The technical institutions No Institution 1 Amugu - agro technical Institute 2 Rwentaga farm sch 3 Tororo technical institute 4 Rweinziringiro technical school 5 Pajule technical school Kihanda technical school 7 AhamedSegjuyji institute 8 Nalwire technical institute 9 Inde technical institute 10 Kisubi technical institute 11 Masulita vocational institute 12 Birembo vocational institute 13 Fisheries training institute 14 Kaliro technical institute Source; Statement to the parliament 2002/3 Increase in investment in private secondary school

District Lira Mbarara

Tororo

Mbarara Kitgum Kanungu Kayunga Busia Arua Wakiso Wakiso Mpigi Wakiso Kamuli

Amount given 51..140;000 32,291,000 32,074,500 29,074,500 20,000,000 28,000,000 28,812,000 20,000,000 12,000,000 4,000,000 19,000,000 9,938,350 47,396,270 21,144,500

Since the implementation of UPE, the enrolment rate in primary schools has been experiencing an upward tend. The growth of secondary schools could not keep in pace with growing enrolments. By the year 2000, there were only 490 government owned secondary schools, and 579 private Education statistical abstract, 2000). These could not accommodate pupils leaving primary seven. UPE opened the door to investment in secondary schools by private entrepreneurs in order to accommodate primary seven leavers who cannot obtain a place in government owned or aided secondary schools. The number of community owned secondary schools have also increased in nuumber to absorb primary seven leavers in the community. Below is a table showing number of secondary schools and ownership. Table 7.4 Table showing the number of secondary schools and ownership between 1 993 and 2002 Owner 1998 12000 2001 2002 Government 579 490 601 730 Private 258 579 1140 1227 Community 0 811 109 771 837 1880 Total 1850 2728 Source: Education statistical abstracts 1998-2002 Growth of schools When UPE was launched, many schools were but even in the rural areas. Between 2000 and 2001, the number of secondary schools in the rural areas increased from 987 to 992 schools. (Education statistical abstracts)

Table 7.5 Table showing growth in number of primary schools and secondary school Year 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Primary schools 7535 8411 8531 8531 8600 9916 10597 11578 13219 . 557 Secondary schools 508 619 619 621 837 1633 1892 2400

2002 13332 2728

Source: Education statistical abstracts 1993-2002 Boosted investment^ local construction and publishing firms Before 1997, construction in schools was in the hands of parents and the community and instructional materials were procured form abroad. When UPE was launched in 1997, the enrolment rate in primary schools rose vastly. According to ESIP guidelines on infrastructure provision, district authorities would procure suitable constructors and suppliers to do the actual work. As a result, many construction firms were created to meet the construction demand created by UPE implementation. In addition to that, due to the increase in the demand for instructional materials such as textbooks and teachers guides in schools arising from UPE, there was an increase in local publishing companies. These include among others; MK Publishers, kamalu-Longman, Mukono printing and publishing Co., Macmillan Uganda, Oxford University Press, and Fountain publishers. (Business directory 2002) Stimulation of growth of Post Primary Education Training The UPE policy and its implementation has been a great success and has greatly increased access to education at this level. The enrolment rose from 2.7 million in 1997 to over 7.2 million in 2002. The enrolment rate could not keep pace with the growth rate of the Post primary especially government owned. This created pressure on available Post primary Institution when UPE was launched in 1997, there were 6,702 technical schools and these increased to 7,019 technical schools in 1998. In these schools pupils are equipped with skills carpentry, joinery, building and concrete practice. To absorb the product of UPE that may not be able to join secondary school, the government of Uganda also came up with an initiative to construct 850 community polytechnics in the country. These polytechnic institutes were to absorb and provide technical skiffs to all in particular primary school leavers. As a result technical and vocational tutors were trained to handle these schools and institutes, instruction modules for community polytechnics were designed and curriculum guidelines developed. (Policy statement to the parliament) Since the implementation of UPE, the government has broadened financing education to include other stakeholders for example funding agencies and NGO such as USAID, World Vision, ADRA etc. The sustainability of UPE is based on the fact that these donors offer grants for funding UPE and not Loans. They have committed themselves to financing education in Uganda through UPE. CHALLENGES OF UPE Over-centralized procedures and lack of broader teacher participation except in subject panels, in contradiction to accepted decentralization policies; Lack of quality assurance procedures and strategies in the orientation to and implementation of new syllabuses; Insufficient training of new materials and approaches with lack of involvement at district levels where classroom based curriculum development or piloting could be organized;

Insufficient training, orientation and continuing support for classroom teachers dealing with the new syllabuses: Delay in the provision of supporting learning materials and textbooks for schools; The impact of UPE in terms of pressure on schools for space, material resources and staff; Insufficient attention is paid to realistic teaching methods in the syllabuses" Insufficient attention on curriculum issues to maximize effectiveness of change. Resistance to change, this occurs either due to cultural values or shift of power. Variation in context Such as urban, rural, demographic or social differences and so forth. Extra-ordinary expansion of knowledge vis-a-vis the limited human capacity to assimilate it. This has been made worse by the persisting high illiteracy rate. Enhanced mobility and communication often related to increased HIV/AIDS transmission. Effects of international politics and unstable regional markets. Economic competition, with migrants and other better trained people. The threat to loss of individual culture and identities in favour of global cultures and identities. The explosive world population growth, and its implications The expansion of information and knowledge which places pressure on the school system to strive to adjust to cope by developing appropriate knowledge and skills, technologies. Debt burden, and poverty at household level; Protectionism, especially in the face of economic integration and trading blocs by developed countries. Dumping of obsolete technologies, substandard products and hazardous substances causing health problems; Smuggling which hurts tax revenues and stifles domestic industries. Donor fatigue resulting from financing programmes for too long. Unfavorable donor conditionalitys, which emphasize short term solutions at the cost of sustainable long-term growth objectives. Financial markets instability that hurts small economies most, Brain drain therefore undermining technical competence.