National Strategy for Girls’ Education (NSGE) in Uganda (2015 – 2019)

Abstract

The Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) Uganda is mandated to provide for, support, guide, coordinate, regulate and promote quality education and sports to all persons in Uganda for national integration, individual and national development (ESSP, 2007-2015). The Ministry’s Vision is to ensure quality Education and Sports for All. In 2000, MoES designed a National Strategy for Girls’ Education (NSGE) as a mechanism to concretize concerns on the girl child education as provided for in the Education Sector Investment Plan (1997-2003). The design of this strategy was premised on the national desire to provide an implementation framework, laying out strategies to achieve the goal of narrowing the gender gap in education particularly through promoting girls’ education, as a form of affirmative action. The Strategy was pegged to addressing the most pressing barriers to girls’ full and equal participation in education in Uganda, clustered as social cultural factors, school related factors, political, economic as well as administrative factors. The Strategy was also to act as a plan of action highlighting the roles of different stakeholders in the sector, in joint promotion of girls’ education. This is a revised edition of the NSGE. The revision of the NSGE was largely prompted by emerging concerns in Uganda’s education sector in general and in girls’ education in particular. These concerns included among others; taking into consideration renewed emphasis, both nationally and internationally, on , emphasis on the quality of education, promotion of science education, skilling Uganda and the persistent barriers to girls’ education, among others. The revision was also intended to create a framework within which critical challenges such as gender based violence and teenage pregnancy are decisively addressed. This revised version also widens the coverage to all education sub-sectors, beyond primary and secondary sectors. This NSGE provides for a national implementation framework, laying out strategies to achieve the goal of narrowing the gender gap in education, to accord the girl child the right to equal access, equal chances to take part or share in the education system and equal educational results or education outcomes. The priority areas of focus in this NSGE are; Effective Policy implementation Framework for Girls’ Education; harmonization of Education Sector Programmes on Girls’ Education; commitment of requisite Resources to girls education; Institutionalized/Routine Research in the Area of Girls’ Education and Capacity enhancement and involvement for all critical actors in Girls’ Education. The whole spirit behind the strategy is that education for girls is a basic human right and should be taken as so by all stakeholders and duty bearers. In addition, it is established that there are many societal dividends that come about as a result of educating girls. These include, but are not limited to, higher family incomes, greater economic productivity and better nutrition, delayed marriage, improved maternal outcomes; improved survival rates for infants and overall improvement in education outcomes for children.