Education Without Barriers: Inside NRM’s Vision For A Free Learning Nation

By Frank Kamuntu 

The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has anchored its 2026–2031 manifesto, themed “Protecting the Gains,” on a renewed commitment to human capital development — particularly through free and accessible education. The party underscores education as both a fundamental human right and a transformative social equalizer, essential for equipping Ugandans with employable skills and enabling them to lead longer, happier, and more productive lives.

In an exclusive interview, Moses Byaruhanga, Senior Presidential Advisor on Political Affairs and Chairman of the Manifesto Committee (2026–2031), reflected on Uganda’s educational landscape prior to NRM’s ascendancy to power.

“In 1986, education was a privilege for the few who could afford school fees,” he recalled. “Children from humble backgrounds were effectively locked out of the system.”

He emphasized that this inequality spurred the NRM government to introduce Universal Primary Education (UPE) in 1997, which abolished tuition in government-aided schools. The reform triggered an unprecedented rise in primary school enrollment — from 2.5 million learners in 1997 to 9.52 million today.

According to Byaruhanga, the figures continue to climb as government expands its footprint in the education sector. Since the introduction of UPE, over 12,549 schools have been grant-aided, up from 6,880 prior to 1997. Notably, 6,429 out of 10,584 parishes now boast at least one government-aided school, a development he attributes to NRM’s deliberate effort to take education to the grassroots.

Looking ahead, Byaruhanga outlined a series of strategic interventions the NRM intends to pursue should it retain power in 2026. These include:

• Recruitment of additional teachers at both primary and secondary levels to curb illegal school fees often charged to pay unremunerated teachers.
• Regulation of utility fees in urban government secondary schools to lessen the financial burden on parents.
• Rehabilitation of all 121 traditional and special-needs schools across the country.
• Construction of staff housing to improve teacher welfare and retention.
• Progressive enhancement of salaries for teachers in the arts disciplines.
• Increased investment in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), including expansion of government sponsorships for learners.

Byaruhanga asserted that these initiatives are central to the NRM’s vision of “education for all,” reaffirming the government’s pledge to make education not only accessible but genuinely free in all government institutions.

“Education must never again be a privilege,” he concluded. “It must remain a right — guaranteed and protected by the state.”