Museveni slams MPs for blocking free education

Museveni sounded off at the legislators on Thursday, accusing them of turning down his advice on supporting free education under the Universal Primary Education (UPE).

For decades, Museveni noted, he has pushed for free education for all in government schools, yet MPs who claim to care a lot about their constituents, continue to block this endeavour.

“The NRM since 1996 has been in favour of free education in government schools. But other people are pushing for charges,” he said.

“Please, if you care about those street children you keep talking about…they are street children because many of them did not go to school. And what is blocking them? It is the school charges.”

“If you say you really care about tour people, support my position on free education. If you don't want to support them, then keep quiet and let the children suffer.”

President Yoweri Museveni addressing the MPs pulse uganda

Museveni voiced his displeasure during the second day of the regional parliamentary session at the Kaunda Grounds in Gulu.

In his remarks, Museveni told the MPs about an earlier meeting he had on Wednesday with the heads of religious institutions in Uganda,

“Yesterday I was meeting with the heads of the religious faiths with Mama Janet about the schools. One of the issues we were discussing is the school charges,” he said.

UPE drop out rate

UPE is a government initiative that was rolled out in 1997.

Despite increasing enrolment rates, completion rates remain concerningly low. According to recent data from the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), a substantial portion of UPE students fail to reach the final year of primary school, contributing to a dropout rate that has alarmed education stakeholders.

For instance, the dropout rate in some districts exceeds 30%, highlighting the disparities in educational outcomes across different regions.