USAID: Uganda FY 2002 Congressional Budget Justification

PROGRAM: UGANDA
TITLE AND NUMBER: Quality Basic Education for an Increased Percentage of Uganda Children, 617-003
STATUS: Continuing
PLANNED FY 2001 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $8,799,000 CSD
PROPOSED FY 2002 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $7,854,000 CSD
INITIAL OBLIGATION: FY 1992; ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY 2002

Summary: Over 54% of Uganda's population are children, the majority of whom are from poor illiterate families who cannot afford to send them to school. In the event that a choice has to be made, the tendency has been for the families to educate boys rather than girls. In 1997, GOU introduced the policy of free education for four children in every family. While this increased the enrollment, it also reduced the quality of education in terms of teacher/pupil ratio and classroom/pupil ratio. The heavily burdened primary schooling system could not meet the immediate demands for classrooms, teachers, and teacher learning materials.

USAID's education program contributes directly to USAID/Uganda's objective for access to quality basic education, especially for girls and women. Since 1992, USAID/Uganda has contributed significantly toward improving the quality of primary education. The program, which is now in its eighth year, has leveraged broad reforms in the sector that have made primary education both accessible and affordable for the 6.8 million Ugandan children currently enrolled in primary school. USAID intends to obligate $8,799,000 in FY 2001 CSD Basic Education funds to support this program.

Key Results: Uganda serves as a model for primary education sector reform in Africa, with USAID as a leading partner. This partnership has leveraged critical reforms through Non-Project Assistance (NPA) and has brought other key donors into the framework of the Education Strategic Investment Plan (ESIP). Primary enrollment has increased, reaching a new high of 6.8 million pupils. The net enrollment ratio now stands at 95% of all children aged 6-13 years, and the gap between boys' and girls' enrollment has declined from 10% in 1995, to just 2% in 2000. The Universal Primary Education (UPE) policy of providing free primary education for four children per family has dramatically increased enrollment among the poor. Prior to UPE, net primary enrollment among the poorest Ugandans was only 50%, compared to 82% among the well-to-do; by 2000, differences in enrollment based on income had virtually disappeared, and the number of children from poor households in primary school had more than doubled. Rural-urban differences in access to primary education have also been eliminated. Completion rates in fourth and seventh grade have also continued to increase, by 23% and 5% respectively, reflecting the large numbers of over-aged children and returned dropouts presently enrolled.

Performance and Prospects: USAID/Uganda's success in primary education, focusing on critical policy reforms, is now in its eighth year of successful implementation. This has resulted in other key donors joining the reform process through the framework of the Education Strategic Investment Plan (ESIP).

The GOU set out to add 24,000 teachers to the existing 90,000 during 2000, but was unable to meet this target due to an unexpectedly large number of teachers leaving public service for jobs at private schools or in other professions. It has been difficult to find qualified teachers to fill new positions and to replace the ones who have left. Attracting qualitified teachers for posts in disadvantaged areas of the country, such as conflict zones and remote rural areas has also been challenging. The shortage of trained teachers is being addressed by recruitment of competent retired teachers, high school graduates and newly graduated teachers, and by strengthened in-service training programs. The core teacher training colleges are also being upgraded through staff training and new technology. The 13,500 teachers who were recruited were sufficient to improve the pupil/teacher ratio in lower primary, which is expected to decrease from 110:1 to 80:1 by 2001.

The Teacher Development and Management System (TDMS), a program to improve the quality of education, teacher training and retraining, community mobilization and headteacher training, was originally intended to be limited in scope, but its phenomenal success led to its expansion and implementation throughout the country. During 2000, TDMS was further strengthened through the recruitment and training of over 600 key staff at primary teachers' colleges (PTCs) and coordinating centers.

During the year, the PTCs were reorganized to more effectively meet the demand for qualified teachers. The total number of PTCs was reduced from 67 to 45, in order to devote more resources to the best centers and provide quality training. Refurbished infrastructure, revised curriculum, and improved school materials for in-service and pre-service teacher training are now in use. The Institute of Teacher Education Kyambogo (ITEK), which trains PTC staff, has established more rigorous entry requirements and has put a ceiling on the number of student teachers employed. In order to monitor the quality of education, the Ministry of Education and the Education Planning Department (EPD) have instituted a new policy framework for monitoring and evaluation.

Girls' Participation. The "Girls Can Do It" manual, a compilation of strategies to promote girls' performance and retention developed with USAID support, was launched nationwide during 2000. Eleven thousand copies of this manual were provided to all government-aided schools, district education offices and PTCs throughout the country. In addition, training programs have been held for tutors in 18 core PTCs on how to use the manual. These tutors have, in turn, trained their Coordinating Center Tutors (CCTs) who are responsible for working with their area schools to implement the strategies described in the manual.

With $380,000 provided through the Education for Development and Democracy Initiative (EDDI), the Mission established the Ambassador's Girls' Scholarship and Mentoring Program in 2000. Implemented by the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), the Program has awarded 180 secondary school scholarships at 17 top-rated secondary schools around the country, supporting high-achieving students from poor families who otherwise would not be able to attend secondary school. The program also provides support and encouragement through a mentoring component.

In accordance with policy reforms agreed to between the GOU and USAID, the GOU has maintained a high level of budgetary support to primary education. In 2000, 31% of total GOU recurrent budget resources were committed to the education sector and 68% of education expenditures were allocated to primary education. The target for per pupil expenditure, set at $24, was met even though the total number of pupils increased by 300,000.

Transparency and accountability in allocation and use of education funds at decentralized levels has also improved significantly. The proportion of UPE per capita grant resources actually reaching schools has improved to 90%. Expenditure guidelines are available at virtually all schools and 70% of schools are in compliance with them.

With the adoption of the Education Strategic Investment Plan (ESIP), the GOU, in partnership with a consortium of donors and other stakeholders, has successfully put into place a master plan for supporting and implementing UPE. The ESIP framework allows for the continuous monitoring of education activities as well as assessment of progress against jointly agreed to conditions, or "undertakings", which determine the release of donor resources that have been placed in a common fund. This is a remarkable achievement, which has put Uganda into a leadership position in education sector coordination and management.

The USAID-supported Connect-ED activity implemented under the aegis of the Education for Development and Democracy Initiative (EDDI) aims to enrich education by providing teacher training in computer skills, improvements to computer laboratories, and connectivity to PTCs around the country. This activity makes teaching curricula more available and accessible, and improves the quality and effectiveness in delivery of primary teacher education in Uganda. In 2000, EDDI tutors in four PTCs were trained in basic computer literacy. Instructional technicians at ITEK are being trained in computer applications, in order to build capacity at the PTCs, and have also started integrating the teaching curriculum into an internet site. In 2001, the Connect-ED activity will refurbish six PTC labs; set up computer laboratories at 10 new PTC sites; and assist in the development of a Professional Development Course for computer literacy. The impact of Connect-ED will extend into the community and also generate revenues for the PTCs as the computer facilities and internet connectivity will be accessible to the public on a fee for service basis.

Possible Adjustments to Plans: The current Mission strategy ends in FY 2001, with this the final year of obligation. The Mission is currently working on an Integrated Strategic Plan (ISP) for 2002-2007. While shown as requests in support of this SO, FY 2002 funds ($7,854,000 in CSD) will be obligated under the new strategy. A new SO will be developed to focus on improving the delivery and utilization of social sector services, particularly to women and girls, to encourage positive health and life choices by this critical target population.

Other Donor Programs: Department for International Development, World Bank, Ireland Aid, The Netherlands and European Union all support primary education reform through the Sector Wide Approach (SWAP). In addition, most of the above funding agencies have supported classroom construction using the Schools Facilities Grant mechanism. The Netherlands, European Union and Ireland Aid have supported TDMS expansion to cover the whole country. UNICEF, together with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Netherlands, has continued its Complementary Opportunities to Primary Education (COPE) program that supports education activities for out-of-school girls through non-formal approaches. The German Technical Assistance Agency is implementing a program of basic education for the urban poor that targets out-of-school children, while the Danish are supporting special education for disabled children and those with learning disabilities. The Government of Japan is involved in classroom construction, while the World Food Program (WFP) is managing a school-feeding program for Karamoja region.

Principal Contractors, Grantees or Agencies: Creative Associates International Inc. and AED/Learnlink.

FY 2002 Performance Tables

U.S. Financing

(In thousands of dollars)

	Obligations		Expenditures		Unliquidated
Through September 30, 1999	8,600	DA	7,976	DA	624	DA
	27,417	CSD	8,853	CSD	18,564	CSD
	0	ESF	0	ESF	0	ESF
	0	SEED	0	SEED	0	SEED
	0	FSA	0	FSA	0	FSA
	49,188	DFA	48,788	DFA	400	DFA
Fiscal Year 2000	0	DA	614	DA
	8,618	CSD	8,836	CSD
	0	ESF	0	ESF
	0	SEED	0	SEED
	0	FSA	0	FSA
	0	DFA	17	DFA
Through September 30, 2000	8,600	DA	8,590	DA	10	DA
	36,035	CSD	17,689	CSD	18,346	CSD
	0	ESF	0	ESF	0	ESF
	0	SEED	0	SEED	0	SEED
	0	FSA	0	FSA	0	FSA
	49,188	DFA	48,805	DFA	383	DFA
Prior Year Unobligated Funds	0	DA
	200	CSD
	0	ESF
	0	SEED
	0	FSA
	0	DFA
Planned Fiscal Year 2001 NOA	0	DA
	8,799	CSD
	0	ESF
	0	SEED
	0	FSA
	0	DFA
Total Planned Fiscal Year 2001	0	DA
	8,999	CSD
	0	ESF
	0	SEED
	0	FSA
	0	DFA
			Future Obligations		Est. Total Cost
Proposed Fiscal Year 2002 NOA	0	DA	0	DA	8,600	DA
	7,854	CSD	0	CSD	52,888	CSD
	0	ESF	0	ESF	0	ESF
	0	SEED	0	SEED	0	SEED
	0	FSA	0	FSA	0	FSA
	0	DFA	0	DFA	49,188	DFA

UGANDA

Activity Data Sheet

FY 2002 Performance Tables

U.S. Financing