By Government is in the final stages of negotiating a major funding agreement with the World Bank to rehabilitate 160 traditional secondary schools across Uganda, according to the Ministry of Finance Permanent Secretary, Ramathan Ggoobi.
Ggoobi made the announcement while appearing before Parliament’s Budget Committee on Tuesday, 13 May 2025, assuring legislators that education infrastructure is receiving renewed focus under a new initiative dubbed the U-Learn Program.
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“We are concluding negotiations with the World Bank for a major intervention under U-Learn, aimed at renovating most of our secondary schools,” Ggoobi said, noting the funding would complement the ongoing US$300 million Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfer Programme (UGIFT), which also receives support from the World Bank.
He added that UGIFT is already targeting the refurbishment of 1,000 existing primary schools and supporting development in the health and environment sectors.
Ggoobi was accompanied by State Minister for Finance, Hon. Henry Musasizi, and other ministry officials to address concerns from MPs over the 2025/2026 draft budget. Lawmakers expressed frustration over the exclusion of long-standing education needs in rural constituencies.
Moroto County MP, Hon. Samuel Okwir (NRM), criticized the delay in funding schools that have remained underdeveloped for years, citing Akola Seed Secondary School in Alebtong District as an example. “Since being grant-aided in 2016, students still learn under trees. No teachers have been paid, and no construction has taken place,” Okwir said, questioning what the President would showcase during campaign visits to such areas.
Similar concerns were echoed by Bushenyi Woman MP, Hon. Annet Katusiime (NRM), who said schools in her district that were officially absorbed by government still receive no operational support. “Teachers were recruited and posted, but for two years now, there’s been no funding,” she said.
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Kashari South MP, Hon. Nathan Itungo, urged the ministry to prioritize funding for the Uganda National Institute for Teacher Education (UNITE), which oversees teacher training across the country. “Without operational funding, Primary and National Teachers’ Colleges are lying idle. How do we implement the President’s free education agenda without adequately trained teachers?” he asked.
The committee has asked the ministry to provide concrete timelines for implementation of the proposed interventions and to address outstanding funding gaps in the sector.
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