The Buganda Kingdom has launched nursery and daycare kindergarten schools across all its counties in a bid to strengthen early childhood education.
The initiative, spearheaded by the Kingdom’s Ministry of Education, aims to address gaps in Uganda’s early learning performance compared to neighboring countries.
The launch ceremony took place at the Kyagwe District Headquarters and was presided over by Deputy Chief Minister of Buganda, Prof Twaha Kawaase.
During the event, nine-member district committees were inaugurated to oversee the management of nursery schools in each county.
Kyagwe County Chief Vincent Matovu Bintu Bizibu welcomed Prof. Kawaase and led him on a tour of ongoing county development projects, including a coffee nursery bed initiative.
Matovu commended the Kingdom for its visionary leadership and highlighted Kyagwe’s early efforts in education, recalling the establishment of Sekiboobo Primary School in the 1990s despite military barracks occupying county premises at the time.
Buganda Kingdom Minister for Education and Health, Cotilda Nakate, noted that Uganda’s performance in early childhood education lags behind regional peers, prompting the Kabaka’s intervention.
She revealed that since the program’s inception last year, over 1,000 children have already been enrolled in counties where the initiative is operational, with plans to expand to more distant counties as demand grows.
In a message delivered by Prof Kawaase, Buganda Kingdom Prime Minister Charles Peter Mayiga thanked the Kabaka for prioritizing early childhood education and urged parents to enroll their children and provide necessary support.
Prof. Kawaase also called on the newly sworn-in committees to ensure transparency in school management, particularly in the allocation of bursaries, and to monitor school activities closely to discourage absenteeism.
Currently, the Kingdom has operationalized 13 nursery schools, with plans to establish additional facilities in the remaining counties in subsequent phases.
