During the Nation Media Group-Uganda shutdown for a month, a lot transpired in the education sector, ranging from the suspension of school study tour trips to Uneb closing the registration of candidates intending to sit for their final examinations starting this October. We bring you the highlights
Arts teachers’ pay enhanced.
In July, the government started implementing the long-awaited 25 percent salary increment for primary and secondary arts teachers as well as BTVET instructors, funded by a Shs568 billion allocation in the Financial Year (FY) 2026/2027 budget.
This marked the beginning of a broader push to harmonise pay with science teachers. According to the new salary scale, Education Assistants (Grade III teachers) in primary schools now earn about Shs700,000 per month, up from about Shs500,000.
Salaries for head teachers increased from about Shs1 million to about Shs1.5 million, while deputy head teachers now earn about Shs1.4 million, up from about Shs750,000.
For the FY2026/2027, the Ministry of Public Service allocated Shs9.78 trillion for the public service wage bill to facilitate such increments.
The Public Service Minister, Gen Katumba Wamala, said wage bill discipline remains a government priority. While the pay increase is a step toward harmonising public service pay, some teaching unions like the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (Unatu) have said the 25 percent adjustment falls short of the 300 percent raise science teachers received in 2022, leading to dialogue over future phased increases.
Science teachers continue to earn substantially more than their arts counterparts under the government’s differentiated salary policy. A graduate Science teacher currently earns Shs4 million while a diploma holder earns over Shs2million.
A science head teacher earns Shs6.5m up from Shs2.3m, while a deputy headteacher (science) earns Shs4.5.m
24 pupils perish in Kapchorwa
On July 16, families were grief-stricken after a school bus crash claimed the lives of at least 24 pupils of King David Junior School, Ndejje, and their director, Mr Tadeo Ssekade, among other occupants, as they returned from a study tour at Sipi Falls in Kapchorwa District.
The incident occurred at around 8pm at Chekwatit Hill, a renowned accident black spot in Kapchorwa . Over 60 other pupils sustained serious injuries. Preliminary investigations by the police indicated that the school bus developed a mechanical failure.
The driver lost control on the steep hill, causing the vehicle to veer off the road. The bus thereafter hit a large stone, and overturned. The survivors were rushed to health facilities in Kapchorwa and Mbale.
Govt suspends school study trips
Following the tragic accident, Education ministry officials immediately convened an inter-ministerial meeting to come up with immediate and long-term interventions to prevent the recurrence of such incidents involving learners.
Speaking at a press conference organised by the ministries of Education, Gender, ICT and National Guidance, Works at Uganda Media Centre on July 17, Acting Education Minister Dr John Chrysostom Muyingo announced the suspension of study trips for learners travelling in groups within and outside Uganda until further notice.
Last call for late registration for 2026 candidates
On July 27, 2026, the management of the Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) made the final call for the heads of examination centres to register the remaining candidates for the 2026 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) under the late registration phase.
Uneb’s spokesperson Jennifer Kalule Musamba, in a statement issued on July 27, said July 31 would be the last chance for candidates to register for the 2026 national examinations that are expected to commence in two months.
The grace period for normal registration of 2026 candidates ended on June 30. The registration fees for the normal phase stood at Shs34,000 for PLE, Shs164,000 for UCE, and Shs186,000 for UACE.
Normal registration was followed by the late registration phase that commenced on July 1 and ended on July 31.
Ms Kalule said the late registration phase attracted a surcharge of 100 percent for PLE candidates and 50 percent for UCE and UACE candidates.
The current registration fees now stand at Shs68,000 for PLE, Shs246,000 for UCE candidates, and Shs279,000 for UACE candidates.
Ms Kalule tasked all concerned parties to ensure the learners in candidate classes are all duly registered. By June 30, over1.5 million candidates had registered for the three national examinations.
Makerere College renovation kicks off
The government commenced the renovation works for Makerere College, one of the country’s traditional schools.
This is part of the government’s efforts to eliminate hazardous asbestos roofing from public institutions.
The project, worth Shs461 million, is funded through the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and implemented by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces Engineering Brigade for one year. Makerere College was founded in 1945 by Makerere University.
Its main O-Level campus is located on the prestigious Makerere Hill, in Kampala, a few metres from Makerere University, Uganda’s oldest premier university that was founded in 1922.
The A-Level campus is found in Mulawa, Kira Town Council, Wakiso District. Several Ugandan traditional schools built during the colonial era were roofed with asbestos sheets, given that they are durable and fire-resistant.
However, these roofs are being replaced by normal iron sheets given the health hazard that they expose occupants to.
Health experts warn that weathered or broken asbestos fibres can cause cancer when inhaled and or swallowed.
Competence-based education taskforce inaugurated
The government inaugurated a task force that is going to oversee the implementation of competence-based education in Education institutions of Uganda.
The launch was presided over by the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Education and Sports, Dr Kedrace Turyagyenda (represented).
The taskforce comprises officials from universities, the Ministry of Education and Sports, associations of small-scale industries, and Private Sector Foundation.