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The Private Schools and Institutions department was inaugurated in 2008, consequent to the restructuring of the Ministry of Education and Sports to cater for the vibrant and ever-expanding private investment in education. Since the government of Uganda decision in 1993 to liberalize the education sector, thousands of schools and institutions have been set up by private investors. In the secondary sub-sector, the number of private schools, at about 4000, is more than double the number of government-funded schools.
The Private Schools and Institutions department is charged with the overall coordination, regulation, policy formulation and guidance on all matters regarding these private schools and institutions. It is specifically vested with the powers to address issues and concerns in private primary and secondary schools as well as private technical and vocational education and training institutions.
It is also the responsibility of the department to coordinate, initiate and implement policies and deal with matters pertaining to foreign students in Ugandan schools. The aim in this regard is to establish Uganda as an attractive destination for quality education in the region.

The Department's Mission and Vision

Mission

To promote equitable access to quality education and sports by providing technical support and guidance, and by regulating and coordinating private schools for better management and governance.

Vision

To foster Public Private Partnership in the provision of quality education and sports.

  • To ensure that all private schools and institutions are appropriately guided for provision of equitable access to quality education
  • To protect the interests of all stakeholders in privately owned/managed education institutions.
  • To advocate for, support and promote the development of the private sub-sector in education to supplement the government effort in increasing access to quality and affordable education.
  • To establish and maintain an up-to-date data bank on private schools and institutions in the country.
  • To ensure that all matters of foreign students in Uganda private education institutions are fairly and adequately addressed.
  • To promote and coordinate Public Private Partnership in education
  • Support supervision to schools implementing USE and UPOLET as well as to non-USE schools
  • Licensing and registration and deregistration of private schools and institutions
  • Coordinating the activities of the following associations that promote collaboration between private schools:
    1. National Association of Private Universal Secondary Education Schools (NAPUSES)
    2. UNIPEA
    3. Uganda Private Teachers Union (UPTU)
  • Scrutinizing management and governance reports to identify critical issues for appropriate action by relevant authorities.
  • Cleaning and updating the register of private schools and institutions.
  • Addressing issues of discipline of staff and students in private schools
  • Developing guidelines to operationalize the Education Act 2008 and guide effective management of private education institutions.
  • Phased grading of private secondary schools in Uganda.
  • PPP - Identifying private schools to partner with government in implementing USE.
  • Identifying private schools for government grant aid.
  • Enhanced Public Private Partnership (PPP), where 879 schools are implementing USE.
  • Additional 106 schools licensed, 101 registered and 85 upgraded in 2010/2011.
  • Recommended 88 Private schools, mostly community schools which are now government grant aided.
  • Graded 2073 schools in 2009 and another in 828 in 2011.
  • Provided support supervision to at least 250 private schools every school year.
  • Ensured that Boards of Governors of 480 private schools are approved by the Hon. Minister of Education and Sports in 2012.
  • In an ongoing process, up to 652 Boards of Governors of private schools have been submitted to the minister for approval.
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