20 , Wednesday, November 4, 2015 MWALIMU NEW VISION, Wednesday, November 4, 2015 25 Private investors REINFORCING education sector RIPE FOR INVESTMENT

By Conan Businge Uganda boasts of being an education hub, given The liberalisation of the education system has paid the high infl ux of foreign students from the The private sector’s continued buttressing region. Uganda hosts several students from of the country’s education sector is vital east and central Africa. in strengthening our human resource off and the private sector has strongly helped the There has been tremendous growth in and economic growth, education minister investment in the education sector as a Maj. (Rtd) Jessica Alupo has said. result of the Government’s deliberate effort Uganda liberalised its education sector Government in the delivery of quality education — to liberalise the economy. This has created a over two decades ago, allowing private favourable environment for private investment entities to own schools and tertiary into the sector. institutions. According to Alupo, the Jessica Alupo With the rising population in the country, move has paid off and the private sector investment in education is expected to sky- has strongly helped the Government in rocket. the delivery of quality education. The Government retains the regulatory and Alupo made the remarks at the supervisory function as well as curriculum opening of Delhi Public School, development. International in Naguru, . Many schools in the country use the local The school opened its gates a few curriculum. However, more international schools months ago to all nationalities who are opening shop in Uganda. are interested in the Indian education system and curriculum. International Studies Alupo also noted: “With the The newly-opened Delhi Public School, International in Naguru in Kampala. It teaches the Indian curriculum At all the levels of education, there is an number of schools opened under the increase in the number of schools offering Ruparelia Group, from kindergarten to international curricula. university; it proves that like him other International schools continues to gain investors have taken advantage of our Ownership of schools in Uganda a reputation for preparing international liberalisation policy.” “There are now Global Perspective children for English-speaking higher education 750 pupils at Delhi Public School. This According to an Education education has increased opportunities throughout the world. proves that investors are collaborating for All global monitoring from approximately 3% Ten years ago, the chances of fi nding an with the Government to provide world report published by in the early 1980s to 34% Primary level Private Secondary level international school in your residential area in class education,” observed Alupo. UNESCO in October last today, according to the the city, was at best rare, but not anymore. “Since the introduction of Universal year, 71 million adolescents World Bank. Enrolment in With Uganda’s economy stabilising and free Primary Education (UPE,) the of lower secondary school private schools is around Private people’s disposable income increasing, the Government has been challenged by a age were out of school 13% in Kenya (2010), 22% demand for international schools has gone up. defi cit of schools,” she added. in 2010, with three out of in Nigeria (2010) and 15% 27% Currently, there are over 17 international Alupo also hailed the private sector four living in south and in Ghana (2011). UNESCO 34% schools in Uganda. for ploughing back resources in the west Asia and the sub- points out that Rwanda has There are an estimated 3,000 students education sector and turning the country Saharan Africa. The last of gone in a different direction studying in international schools in the country. into a great education destination in the these regions has doubled to increase secondary The ever-increasing population of foreign region. the number of students school enrolment. In 2009, 66% nationals, expatriates and diplomats in the enrolling over the period, the country introduced a 73% country provides has provided a huge market yet it has the world’s lowest nine-year basic education for these schools. total secondary enrolment, cycle and eliminated fees Uganda has some of the international schools Private Sector Growth at 40% in 2010. for lower secondary school, in Uganda are accredited by the Council of Private schools have which boosted the number International Schools and the New England Statistics from the education ministry stepped in to plug the gap. of lower secondary students Association of Schools and Colleges with shows that 27% of schools at primary In Pakistan, private-sector by 25% within a year. examination centres for popular Cambridge Alupo, Jacob and opening the new Delhi Public School, International. Photo by Denis Dibele Source: Ministry of Education level and 66% of schools at secondary Examinations i.e. IGCSE and GCSE. level are private. There are also schools using local and As of 2013, private school enrolment as international curricula such as the International was at 16.2% and 51.0% at primary and Students Financing Board. to all children,” SABC noted. Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as The secondary levels, respectively. “The Gross Enrollment Ratio,” according The report notes that the United Nations International Baccalaureate Organisation. From a single university in 1990, to the board’s executive director, says it is concerned about this growth Locally, we use the Uganda National according to the National Council Micheal Wanyama, “has moved and the effects of privatising education Examinations Board. The latest is the Central for Higher Education, now has 41 to 6.1% from 4.97% in 2007.” in developing nations. It singles out Delhi Public School, International offi cially inaugurated Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) being universities. Of all these, only seven According to South African 39% Ghana and Uganda. In the case of Ghana, used at Delhi Public School. are publicly owned and the 34 are in Broadcasting Corporation The it suggests that private education is Sudhir Ruparelia started Delhi Public University. Public School as the only institution engineering,” revealed Jacobs. Uganda enjoys a comparative advantage the hands of the private sector and (SABC), a public service and percentage developing fast. School, International early this year Sudhir, in his remarks: “I felt that using the Indian curriculum in Uganda. Today, the school has students from in East Africa due to good curriculum, lower institutions. commercial broadcasting of students In Uganda, the UN believes that the adding it to the chain of his education there was need to have an Indian Over the years, thousands of Uganda, South Africa, Zimbabwe, tuition and student maintenance costs and There are also 141 other tertiary organisation, “private schools in all private rise of private education is “widening … institutions in the country. School in the country to cater for the Ugandans have studied in Indian Sudan, South Sudan, India and China, English being the main language of instruction. institutions and only 55 are owned are becoming more common universities the gap in access to quality education”. The school was born through the massive number of students who are colleges and universities, especially in among other countries. This has led to an infl ux of students from by the Government, with the other 86 around the world.” in Uganda This, the organisation’s committee on merger of two different schools — Indian interested in studying in India and Pune, Bangalore and Delhi. The inauguration was attended by the East African region, including Kenya, privately owned. It reported recently that the economic, social and cultural rights, says school of Uganda and the Delhi Public using the Indian curriculum. Every year, Talking about the school’s curriculum, Sudhir Ruparelia, his wife Jyostna, their Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo and South “In terms of student enrolment in portion of primary school disproportionately affects girls and children International School. there are 15,000 students who leave the school’s principal, Mary Jacob, said son Ranjiv and daughter Sheena. Sudan. There are opportunities on skills higher institutions of learning, there students enrolled in non-government from poorer families. His other investments in education the country to go to India for studies,” they have evolved through thousands of Later, parents and guests were treated based education, other than only formal are 157,000 students in universities, of schools globally stood at 16% in 2000. Despite such concerns, parents will include Kampala Parents School Sudhir explained. years into what they are today. to a diversity of traditional dances, education that can feed into other sectors like which 61% (97,000) are in six public “It had risen to 20% by 2009. The continue to seek out quality education for (2004), Kampala International With the acquisition of the Indian “It has propelled India into a hub of poems and drama from Europe, Africa, manufacturing, and tourism. universities while 39% (60,000) are in demand, particularly for low-fee private their children. They have the right to do School of Uganda (KISU) and Victoria School of Uganda, this leaves Delhi technology, medicine, accounting and India and the United States of America. 31 Private universities,” according to the schools, is rising, even in countries whose this, particularly if they feel the government fi gures obtained from Higher Education governments offer free primary education school system is not up to scratch. Additional reporting by Titus Kakembo