Kagadi DEO orders early-closed schools to reopen for UBOS census

13 August 2025, 7:44 pm

By James Muhumuza

The Acting Kagadi District Education Officer (DEO), Beatrice Mbabazi, has issued an immediate directive to all school proprietors and headteachers who closed for the second term ahead of schedule to reopen, in order to comply with the ongoing nationwide school census being conducted by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS).

UBOS, the principal government agency responsible for coordinating, monitoring, and supervising Uganda’s National Statistical System, is currently carrying out a nationwide exercise to count school properties and learners in both primary and secondary schools.

Mbabazi revealed that, over the past week in Kagadi, UBOS enumerators have found several schools — particularly private ones — already closed for the term, a situation she says is undermining the government’s efforts.

She explained that the exercise is crucial for enabling the government to determine the exact number of schools and learners in each district, which is vital for effective planning.

The school census is scheduled to conclude before the official end of the second term on 22 August 2025.

Mbabazi made the remarks this evening in an interview with our reporter at her office in Kagadi Town Council, Kagadi District.

Mbabazi further warned that schools which remain uncounted risk losing government grants, as they will not appear in the Ministry of Education and Sports’ official records.

She cautioned that non-compliant schools may face penalties for causing learners to be excluded from government planning and support.