Like many programs, Universal Secondary Education has had its successes as well as its drawbacks. One of the program’s notable successes is that it has increased enrollment for secondary level students- especially girls and youth in poverty-stricken communities. Unfortunately, with the numbers of students increasing, the quality of education in these schools has come into question. Additionally, a number of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) have been accused of not making information regarding funds and their use to parents as required by the government. With these complaints as well as successes in mind, Trac FM along with the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER) asked the public what they thought about private schools that have implemented the USE program.
From 4314 responses, 44% of our respondents felt that PPPs are mainly concerned with making money. 42% believe these private schools are mainly concerned with the quality of education while 14% of our respondents were not familiar with PPPs in the first place. What this poll shows is that there is a general negative perception of PPPs that can easily be eradicated if these schools showed parents how funds are being spent. Additionally, there are a number of citizens that have faith in these schools despite their challenges. Lastly, more needs to be done to ensure that all citizens of Uganda are informed about this program so that even more youth have access to a secondary education.
Our infographic below gives a visual interpretation of our results.
