UBOS resumes baseline education census 2025 after teachers’ strike

28 October 2025, 2:06 pm

By Ronald Ssemagonja

The government, through the Ministry of Education and Sports and the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), has resumed the “Baseline Education Census 2025 Data Collection” program, which aims to improve service delivery and the well-being of learners in primary schools.

The exercise had earlier been suspended due to industrial action by teachers in government primary schools.

Speaking to journalists at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala, UBOS Head of Communications, Didakas Okoth, confirmed the resumption of the program.

“The Uganda Bureau of Statistics has deployed 1,100 field data collectors to complete the Baseline Education Census 2025. The teams have been deployed across the sub-regions of Acholi, Bunyoro, Karamoja, Kigezi, Rwenzori, Tooro, and West Nile following the end of the teachers’ strike that began at the start of the third term,” Okoth said.

According to UBOS, the data collection exercise will continue until October 30, 2025, to allow Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) candidates to sit for their exams without disruption.

Okoth explained that the teams will visit all primary schools to collect key information about learners including their date of birth, sex, class, nationality, Learner Identification Number (LIN) under the Education Management Information System (EMIS), National Identification Number or student pass, and refugee ID (where applicable). Data on learners with special needs will also be captured.

In addition, the census will record details about teaching staff, school identity, EMIS number, operational and registration status, license number, institution location, contact details, and infrastructure such as classrooms, laboratories, libraries, toilets, teacher houses, and other facilities.

UBOS appealed to headteachers, parents, and local government authorities to cooperate with the enumerators.

“In a special way, UBOS appeals to all parents to support the exercise by providing their children’s correct date of birth, National Identification Number, and Learner Identification Number,” Okoth added.

It should be remembered that when the government first introduced this program, education stakeholders urged that the data collected be put to proper use to achieve the intended goals of improving education services across the country.