Government Schools Overcrowded Despite Boom in Private Institutions, Census Reveals

A recent nationwide education census has brought to light a persistent paradox in Uganda’s school system: while private schools now outnumber public institutions, government schools continue to bear the brunt of learner congestion. The 2025 Baseline Education Census (BEC) report, released by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), indicates that government schools face substantially higher learner-teacher ratios and more crowded classrooms.

At the primary level, although private schools constitute the majority, over 57 percent of the 9.1 million learners are enrolled in government institutions. This translates to an average of 48 pupils per teacher in public primary schools, exceeding the UNESCO recommendation, unlike private schools where the ratio is 24 pupils per teacher. Classroom occupancy also shows a stark difference, with an average of 50 pupils in government classrooms compared to 21 in private ones.

This trend extends to the secondary level. Despite government secondary schools making up only 27 percent of the total, they accommodate nearly half of all secondary school learners. Here, the learner-teacher ratio in public schools is 41 students per teacher, with classrooms holding around 60 learners, significantly higher than in their private counterparts.

Compounding the congestion issue is the uneven distribution of schools. The census found that thousands of parishes lack government primary schools, and over a thousand sub-counties do not have any secondary school, let alone a government-run one. This forces a greater number of students, particularly from low-income families benefiting from Universal Primary Education (UPE), into the already stretched public school system.

The report also highlighted systemic issues, including inconsistencies in the Education Management Information System (EMIS) data and a significant number of older students still in primary school. UBOS has recommended measures such as accelerating teacher recruitment and improving data management by using National Identification Numbers for better learner tracking and planning.

“The national occupancy stands at 45 learners per classroom on average, but the pressure is very high in public schools,” stated Mr Johnstone Galande, a UBOS Principal Statistician, during the report’s presentation.

This data underscores the critical need for strategic planning and resource allocation to address the overcrowding and resource disparities plaguing Uganda’s government schools. The findings are based on the 2025 Baseline Education Census, conducted by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics.