Uganda must stop building empty classrooms and start building functional schools

Op-Ed: For years, Uganda has invested billions of shillings in constructing classroom blocks and procuring desks as part of its commitment to Universal Primary Education (UPE). Every financial year, local governments receive capital development funds under the education sector, with clear directives to expand physical infrastructure in response to increasing enrolment.

The intention is noble. The outcome, however, deserves closer scrutiny.

Across the country, new classroom blocks continue to rise, yet academic performance in many government primary schools remains disappointingly low. The reason is neither mysterious nor difficult to identify. Uganda is treating the symptoms of its education crisis while ignoring its root cause.

The greatest challenge facing primary education today is not simply a shortage of classrooms. It is a shortage of teachers.

In many districts, government primary schools operate with an average of only seven teachers regardless of enrolment. In schools with hundreds, and sometimes more than a thousand learners, these few teachers are expected to manage multiple streams, teach several subjects, prepare lessons, assess learners, supervise co-curricular activities, and perform administrative responsibilities. Such expectations are unrealistic and unfair.

Education experts have long argued that quality learning depends on meaningful interaction between teachers and learners. No amount of concrete, bricks or desks can replace the role of a qualified teacher standing before a class.

Ironically, national planning continues to place greater emphasis on physical infrastructure than on the human resource that makes education possible.

School Facilities Grant guidelines require local governments to prioritize classroom construction because many schools exceed the recommended classroom-to-pupil ratio. National standards provide that one classroom should accommodate approximately 53 learners. Since enrolment continues to rise every year, district leaders naturally respond by requesting more classrooms.

But should they?

A closer examination of public expenditure raises serious questions about value for money.

A standard two-classroom block costs approximately UGX 100 million to construct. Yet the same amount of money could recruit and pay nearly twelve teachers at a rate of 700,000 shillings per month. Which investment would produce greater educational returns?

Evidence increasingly suggests that the answer lies not in more buildings but in more teachers.

Across Uganda, there are schools with relatively adequate infrastructure but insufficient teaching staff. Some communities have completed school buildings that remain underutilized simply because the institutions have never been officially coded by the Ministry of Education and Sports. Without coding, schools cannot receive government teachers, operational grants or other essential support. Buildings stand ready, but learning does not take place at the level communities had hoped.

This is where government policy requires urgent reform.

Rather than directing virtually every development shilling towards constructing additional classrooms, government should revise the School Facilities Grant guidelines to permit local governments to code and operationalize new schools while simultaneously recruiting teachers. Such flexibility would enable districts to respond to their unique education needs instead of applying a one-size-fits-all approach.

Coding new schools would also reduce pressure on overcrowded institutions by redistributing learners across more schools. Instead of expanding already congested campuses, government could create smaller, better-managed learning environments that improve teacher supervision, learner participation and overall school administration.

The issue extends beyond infrastructure. It is about educational quality.

Uganda has spent years celebrating the number of classrooms built, yet the conversation rarely focuses on whether children are learning. Literacy and numeracy assessments continue to reveal worrying gaps in foundational learning among primary school pupils. Overcrowded classes, overworked teachers and inadequate supervision remain recurring concerns.

The country cannot continue measuring success by the number of buildings commissioned while overlooking the quality of instruction taking place inside them.

Development should never become an end in itself. Infrastructure is only a means to achieving better learning outcomes.

As enrolment continues to grow due to population increase and expanded access to education, government must acknowledge that classroom construction alone cannot keep pace with demand. A sustainable education system requires balanced investment in infrastructure, teacher recruitment, school operationalization and instructional materials.

The Ministry of Education and Sports, together with the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, should therefore undertake a comprehensive review of the current funding framework. Local governments should be empowered to allocate part of annual development funds towards coding viable new schools and recruiting the teachers needed to make them functional.

Uganda’s education challenge is no longer about erecting more walls. It is about ensuring that every classroom has a competent teacher, every school is fully operational and every child has a genuine opportunity to learn.

History will not judge the country by how many classroom blocks were built. It will judge it by whether the children who entered those classrooms acquired the knowledge and skills needed to transform their lives.

The time has come to shift from constructing classrooms to creating complete schools. A classroom without a teacher is an empty promise. A coded school with qualified teachers is an investment in Uganda’s future.

The author is Emmanuel Murungi, Communication Officer, Kiryandongo District Local Government

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