As I graduated to high school, my two brothers continued with their primary education but the mayor in the house still footed the bills for their education. But every time he recalled that he had not yet cleared their school dues, I wondered why he was worried about bills that were no more – I thought that Museveni and his comrades had taken care of those expenses! The Webster’s dictionary defines the word universal as something that includes all or the whole. But how many primary school going children do you know that are enjoying this education for all? And why has not the move been realistic?

Uganda school children under UPE

UPE has also been unrealistic because of the class differences that exist among Ugandans. Parents who are still capable of fighting for their children’s bright futures drive their children in limousines, land cruisers and other transporting services to get them to school, later on pick them up. At home, the children settle to do their homework with extra examples from the textbooks and help from their parents. Just how many children dwelling in villages know of the word ‘home work?’ After a long tiring journey to and from school, some children retire to their tattered beds and await the following day’s sun rays to reflect through the window and wake them up. To such village primary school children, education is when they make it to the school’s compound – a school that has less than seven classes, pay attention to a teacher that will spank them when s/he recalls her/his delayed payment, run out for break time and gather at the end of the day to be sent back home – that is if they did not run off the school premises before the end of day bell rang.

Privatization in the education sector has also barred most primary school children from realizing the importance of UPE. Parents opt for private and international schools such as Hillside Academy in Nalya, Green Hill Academy, Kabira International, Lincoln International Heritage International schools among others over Buganda Road, Kitante or even Nakasero primary schools. What sets private schools from public ones is the level of performance (of course, there are cases in which public schools perform better than private ones). Once again, what sets the beneficiaries of education apart is the family’s potential to fund the pupil.

In the end, it turns out that only children from rich families or under the care of wonderful rich guardians are the ones who know how universal UPE is. For those placed in poverty stricken neighbourhoods, Universal Primary Education is nothing but a mere conviction that they too wake up every Monday to Friday and stride to school.