An independent not-for-profit organisation operating in Uganda since October 2019, Uwezo Uganda actively seeks to contribute to a society in which all children are learning and realising their full potential.
We work towards this by demonstrating how to improve learning outcomes and keeping communities and leaders focused on learning through assessment, research, innovations, partnerships and advocacy.
For 10 years, we generated and disseminated independent assessment data, and contributed to amplifying the evidence of low learning outcomes and the fact that schooling does not equate to learning as a program under Twaweza East Africa.
A society in which all children are learning and realising their full potential
To promote support for quality education for all through assessment, research, engagement and influencing, in collaboration with other stakeholders
On
23-26 March, 2025, we participated in the 2025 Comparative International
Education Society (CIES) 69th Annual Conference that took
place in Chicago, USA, under the theme: Envisioning Education in a Digital Society. Together with counterparts in the Regional Education Learning
Initiative (RELI) Africa, Action for Life Skills and Values in East Africa (ALiVE)
and People’s Action for Learning (PAL) Network we presented on the following panels:
a)
A panel
discussion on ‘What works in adolescent
skills: How evidenced, localised solutions are equipping young people with the
skills that Africa needs’ that took place on 23rd
March 2025. The session
emphasised the need for evidence-based, local solutions to teach young people
21st-century skills. It focused on training teachers, updating curricula, and
involving governments to prepare young people for work and life. Continuous
evaluation and feedback were also deemed essential for effective, lasting life
skills education. Our presentation on the panel was titled ‘Building
capacity to assess and nurture adolescents' life skills [& Values]:
Insights from an East African initiative’ can be accessed here
b)
A panel discussion on Equipping Learners for a Dynamic Digital
Future: Insights from Integrating 21st Century Skills in East Africa’s
Education Systems that took
place on 26th March 2025. The panel focused on developing and
implementing frameworks through ALiVE that have potential to strengthen teacher
education, curriculum and assessment systems in East Africa to cultivate the
skills and values that young people need to thrive. The full panel presentation
can be accessed here
Thanks to everyone who
participated in our sessions, as well as those whose sessions we had the
privilege to attend and learn from. Strengthening our education systems to
create environments where all children can develop foundational literacy,
numeracy, life skills and values – essential for further learning, work, and a
meaningful life – demands collaboration and shared insights. We are truly
thankful for this experience. Looking forward to reconnecting at the 2026 CIES
conference in San Francisco!
On March 18, 2025, Uwezo Uganda released
its latest national learning assessment report, based on a survey conducted
between July and August 2024 across 29 districts in Uganda. Titled ‘Are Our
Children Learning? Learning Recovery and Challenges for Uganda,’ the report assesses
children’s reading and numeracy skills in 2024, offering a comparison with
findings from 2021, when Uwezo last conducted a similar assessment during the
Covid-19 pandemic and its associated school closures. The report was officially
launched by Dr. Cleophus Mugenyi, Commissioner for Basic Education at the
Ministry of Education and Sports, on behalf of the State Minister for Primary
Education. During the launch, Dr. Mugenyi reaffirmed the government’s
commitment to implementing the report’s recommendations.
The findings reveal a concerning decline
in children’s average reading proficiency—both in English and local
languages—compared to upper primary learners in 2021, likely a lingering
consequence of reduced school attendance during the pandemic-related closures.
On a positive note, the report highlights improvements in numeracy skills. It
also underscores a gradual recovery from the prolonged school closures of
2020–2021. Pre-primary enrollment is steadily rebounding, and children aged
6–10, the target group for lower primary education, are showing English reading
and numeracy levels that align more closely with those recorded in 2018, with
fewer children classified as non-readers or non-numerate.
The report emphasises that enhancing
literacy and numeracy at foundational levels is crucial for progress. It
advocates for expanded access to Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs and
stresses the need to tackle persistent challenges that hinder learning
outcomes. Key recommendations include allocating resources to recruit more
teachers, particularly for lower primary grades, and ensuring their equitable
distribution across government-aided primary schools. Additionally, the report
calls for targeted initiatives to support children who have fallen behind in
literacy and numeracy, enabling them to catch up and fully benefit from their
primary education.
The complete assessment report is
available for download at: https://uwezouganda.org/download/Uwezo_Uganda_2024_Assessment%20Report_Launch%20Version.pdf
A summary of key findings can be accessed at: https://uwezouganda.org/download/Uwezo_Uganda_Key_Facts_Launch%20Version.pdf
On Friday, 28th February 2025, we bid a heartfelt farewell
to Azamu, our esteemed Accountant for five years since 2020. A pillar of
dedication, excellence & selflessness, Azamu's impact is immeasurable!
Amidst the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020,
Azamu remained a pillar of dedication, commitment, and hard work, ensuring
financial stability and accountability during the uncertain times. His
unwavering commitment to excellence has played a crucial role in shaping our
financial systems, ensuring transparency, and supporting the growth of the organisation.
Despite the difficulties faced in the early years, including navigating
economic uncertainties, Azamu handled every challenge with resilience and
professionalism, earning the respect and admiration of colleagues. His
expertise and attention to detail have not only strengthened our financial
systems but have also inspired colleagues with a strong work ethic and team
spirit. Azamu’s unwavering commitment,
professionalism, and dedication have left a lasting impact on the team and the
organisation as a whole. As we bid farewell, we extend our deepest gratitude
for his invaluable contributions. While we will miss his presence, we celebrate
the legacy of hard work and dedication he leaves behind:
‘The past five
years with Azamu have been truly remarkable. He has played a key role in
ensuring tasks are completed efficiently. Even during challenging moments when
things seemed stuck, he had a way of making things work seamlessly. His
willingness to help has always stood out—whenever you knocked on his door, he
was ready to assist. [Colleague]
When I received
the email, I was truly shocked and wondered why Azamu was leaving. Every requisition
from him was always meticulously quality-assured, making approvals seamless and
effortless. His dedication, selflessness, and unwavering positivity—always
carrying a smile even in the most challenging moments—have been truly
admirable. [Board member]
Thank you for
being our guiding voice (pastor) during meetings; there is no doubt that you
have fulfilled your expectations. Most importantly, we deeply appreciate your
patience, especially when we faced technical issues—you would stay online until
everything was resolved. [Board member]
Azamu, you have
been a true gift to Uwezo. We are grateful for your invaluable time and service
over the past five years and wish you abundant blessings as you embark on this
new chapter. [Colleague]
In his farewell speech, Azamu expressed deep gratitude to
the staff for their unwavering support throughout his tenure:
“This was such a very difficult decision for
me to make and I required a great deal of faith to take this step. Before
joining Uwezo, I prayed for the opportunity to be part of this organisation,
and I am grateful that I was given the chance. I thank the management for
giving me a chance to serve. The team
has been very supportive anytime I needed help from them. I have made brothers and sisters with whom we
have shared and learnt a lot. The supportive culture at Uwezo Uganda is really
good and I thank my colleagues for making my work easy and successful.
I want to thank
Uwezo Uganda Board members.” We are blessed as Uwezo for the Board members who
are responsive and always available. I also extend my heartfelt thanks to Uwezo
Uganda’s Executive Director whom I had the privilege of reporting to, your
continuous guidance and support has been instrumental in my growth and
improvement as an accountant and this has made my work possible and a success.
Azamu, we wholeheartedly wish you success
in your future endeavours. Your contributions have left a lasting mark, and you
will always be a cherished part of our family. We hope this new journey brings you
nothing but the best!
We are delighted to invite you to the launch of the Uwezo Uganda 2024 National Learning Assessment Report titled Are our children learning? Learning recovery and challenges for Uganda, taking place on the 18th March 2025.
You can access more of our reports at https://uwezouganda.org/publications/reports
For
fifteen years, Uwezo Uganda has been at the forefront of conducting citizen-led
assessments of foundational learning, gathering critical data on children’s
learning outcomes in Uganda. To carry out these assessments, Uwezo partners
with grassroots civil society organisations (CSOs) in each district. Various
partner organisations at national and sub-national levels have utilised the Uwezo
assessment methodology, data and findings to develop programs that enhance learning
outcomes as well as evaluate interventions serving the same purpose.
From
7th to 14th April 2025, we were privileged to work with our
partner in Oyam district—Foundation for Inclusive
Community Help (FICH)—as they adapted Uwezo’s tools and
methodology to conduct a school-based baseline assessment of learning in four
districts: Oyam, Kole, Alebtong, and Arua. The baseline is part of FICH’s Equal
Foundations, Empowered Futures project, which aims to enhance
educational outcomes in rural communities, with a focus on gender-responsive
pedagogy in northern Uganda. Uwezo collaborated closely with FICH to tailor
its assessment tools to FICH’s needs, trained 115 assessors from the four
districts to use the adapted tool, and closely monitored the assessment process
to ensure the collection of high-quality data.
The
baseline sample targeted 7,428 children across three classes (Primary 3 to
Primary 5), assessing their basic literacy and numeracy skills using Uwezo
tools. FICH's overarching goal over the next three years is to:
1. Improve
foundational literacy and numeracy skills for 24,000 children in the four
districts
2. Increase girls’ enrollment and retention in Primary 3 to 5 by 20%
3. Train 288 teachers in gender-responsive pedagogy, and
4. Establish 10 girl-friendly spaces.
For more information about Uwezo assessments visit https://uwezouganda.org/publications/reports
to access our assessment reports and https://uwezouganda.org/publications/datasets
to access our datasets.
For the past 15 years,
Uwezo Uganda has been at the forefront of citizen-led assessments, gathering
essential data on children’s learning outcomes throughout Uganda—an approach
that has gained traction among similar organisations. In March 2025, we were thrilled
to join forces with Power Teachers Africa (PTA), who tapped into Uwezo’s
assessment tools to establish baseline data on children’s learning in Mbale.
Uwezo Uganda went out of its way to support this effort, training volunteers on
how to use these tools effectively and keeping a watchful eye on the assessment
process.
Power
Teachers Africa, a
Uganda-registered not-for-profit, is committed to delivering affordable,
teacher-focused motivation programs to government schools across Africa. Their
work tackles pressing issues like teacher absenteeism and turnover while
boosting learning outcomes. Beyond that, PTA strives to spotlight the value of
incentivising teachers, rallying stakeholders around this cause for better
education.
The
baseline study sample included 100 children, aged 6 to 16, across five classes
(Primary 2 to Primary 6) at Bumbobi Primary School. Using Uwezo’s tools, these children
were assessed on basic literacy and numeracy skills. PTA’s overarching goal is
to elevate learning outcomes, and to gauge the impact of their efforts, they’ll
conduct a follow-up assessment later this year, again with Uwezo’s backing.
Curious about Uwezo’s
assessment methods? Dive into our past reports here:
https://uwezouganda.org/publications/reports
By Judith Nyakaisiki
On 5th February 2025, Uwezo
Uganda participated in the Language Development and Advocacy Network (LDAN)
Workshop. The Workshop aimed to:
- Advance
ideas, connections and proposals highlighting the roles
of languages and communication in
development
- Ensure that issues of concern represent broad, diverse,
equitable and inclusive perspectives, and
- Engage
with organisations and communities from different world regions working
within this field to
collaborate, advise, learn from, shape and help steer this area of
interest, including developing policy,
research and practice priorities; informing researchers,
decision-makers and practitioners; all while
encouraging local perspectives, priorities and proposals.
Dr Mary
Goretti Nakabugo, Uwezo Uganda Executive Director, was one of the panelists at
the workshop. Her presentation centered on the relevance of LDAN to a
developing country context such as Uganda. She mainly focused on the issue of
using mother tongue / local language as a medium of instruction and how
this relates to learning outcomes. She shared that, in Uganda, there is an
existing language policy, which requires the use of pupils' mother tongues or a
common area language as a medium of instruction from Primary 1 to Primary 3.
She argued that while the policy is well-intentioned, it is faced with a
number of challenges in practice and has not yet translated into desirable
learning outcomes. For example, due to the linguistic diversity of Uganda even
within smaller geographical areas, choosing to use one local language as a
medium of instruction in one given village may exclude some learners who do not
speak the language, thus, affecting their learning.
In all this, she noted teachers
to be a key factor, yet they have hardly been well-supported to implement the
language policy. A recent spotlight study report on basic education completion
and foundational learning in Uganda highlighted a scarcity of curriculum
documents and teacher guides. Where these existed, they were all in English,
inserting more pressure on the teachers to be language interpreters while
delivering the curriculum (Nakabugo et al 2024)[1].
In her final submission, Dr
Nakabugo argued that, improving children’s learning outcomes requires much more
than simply having in place a language in education policy that requires the
use of local language as a medium of instruction. Other factors, such as
support to teachers, availability of resources, the support to learners and
parental and community awareness of the value of the policy need to be
considered.
The full presentation can be accessed here
