Children like Edson need better learning foundations

“I have learnt to read and write. Before it was hard for me but now it is easier to do both.” — Edson Tayebwa, 11 years old.

At Ngangi Primary School in Kyegegwa District, western Uganda, teacher Jennet Nyamuhunge guides her class through a literacy lesson, using handmade teaching aids crafted from banana fibre. She explains in Rutooro, the language her learners speak at home, and then in English. When she writes a question on the blackboard, the children copy it down and get to work. Within minutes, Edson Tayebwa, 11, finishes first.

Edson has a hearing impairment and joined catch-up classes in Primary One only in March 2025. His progress since then has been steady. But his story points to a much bigger challenge. 

Across Uganda, only about one in four children who start primary school eventually reach secondary education. Millions leave without the basic reading and numeracy skills they need to get there.

Uganda has now secured US$324 million (UGX1.19 trillion) to change that. Approved by the Global Partnership for Education Board and the World Bank Board in May and June 2025 respectively, the financing will support the Uganda Learning Acceleration Programme (ULEARN), a national effort to strengthen literacy and numeracy in the early grades for over 8 million children.

The package brings together a US$114.8 million GPE grant and a US$210 million World Bank IDA credit. The World Bank serves as both a direct financier and the Grant Agent for the GPE funding, overseeing results monitoring.

UNICEF, as the coordinating agency for the GPE, played a central role in supporting dialogue between the Government of Uganda, the GPE Secretariat, and development partners and advocated for stronger national learning assessments to track children’s progress. Bilateral partners including the European Union and the governments of Belgium, Iceland, Ireland, and the United Kingdom also supported the programme’s development.

The Ministry of Education and Sports leads ULEARN as the principal implementer.

The programme aims to improve early grade reading, strengthen learning environments, and expand Uganda’s Education Management Information System.

“Uganda’s investment in foundational learning is not just an education decision. It is an economic one as well. When a child like Edson learns to read and do mathematics early, we are laying the groundwork for a productive, skilled, and employable young person a decade from now. The World Bank’s support for ULEARN reflects our conviction that creating jobs of tomorrow begins in the classrooms of today. With 1.2 billion young people across the developing world set to enter the workforce in the next decade, countries that build strong learning foundations today will be the ones that convert that demographic dividend into shared prosperity tomorrow. Uganda has shown the political will to prioritise this. We are proud to be a partner in that commitment.”

—Francisca Ayodeji (Ayo) Akala, World Bank Country Manager for Uganda

“Foundational learning shapes everything that follows in a child’s education. When children learn to read with understanding and develop basic numeracy in the early grades, they gain the confidence and skills needed for lifelong learning. This investment will help ensure that every child in Uganda, including those in the most vulnerable communities, can learn, thrive and realise their full potential.”

— Dr Robin Nandy, UNICEF Representative to Uganda

At its core, ULEARN focuses on what happens in the classroom. Schools will receive textbooks and learning materials. Teachers will get practical coaching and professional development. Learning assessments at Primary Three and Primary Six will track whether children are reaching the levels they need in literacy and numeracy. The programme will also rehabilitate classrooms, improve accessibility for children with disabilities, and set gender-responsive standards to make schools safer and more inclusive.

The investment complements Uganda’s own education spending and UNICEF’s country programme work on foundational learning, safe schools, and education data systems.

Back in Kyegegwa, learners bend over their books as Nyamuhunge moves on to the next exercise. Edson is among them, focused and writing carefully.

If ULEARN delivers, that scene will one day be ordinary across Uganda. More than 8 million children will enter the higher grades able to read, to calculate, and to think. They will have a far greater chance of finishing school, finding work, and building a future. For a country where most children still do not reach secondary school, that is not a modest goal. It is an impactful one.