The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Sports, has officially launched the Baseline Education Census (BEC) 2025, beginning in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area. The data collection exercise kicked off on April 7th in the districts of Kampala, Mukono, and Wakiso and will continue across the country until June 30th, 2025.
The BEC 2025 is a nationwide initiative aimed at collecting critical data on learners, teaching and non-teaching staff, and school infrastructure. This information will guide planning and policy formulation within Uganda’s education sector. The census covers all categories of learning institutions—both public and private—including pre-primary, secondary, vocational, and higher institutions of learning.
Enumerators, equipped with tablets for Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI), will engage directly with learners and staff in each institution. For learners in Pre-Primary to Primary Five, class teachers will assist during interviews, while learners in Primary Six and above will respond directly.
Among the key data being collected are:
Learner details: including names, dates of birth, learner identification numbers (LIN), and any special needs.
Teaching staff information: such as qualifications, subjects taught, and Teacher Management Information System (TMIS) numbers.
Institutional information: covering location, operational status, infrastructure, ownership, and contact details.
Facilities and utilities: including classroom sizes, textbooks, laboratories, and the status of water, sanitation, and energy supply.
UBOS and the Ministry have made a nationwide appeal for cooperation from heads of institutions, local government authorities, and the general public. Special emphasis is placed on the role of parents in supporting the exercise by providing learners with accurate birth details, national identification numbers (NIN), and LINs where applicable.
Speaking on the initiative, Hon. Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu, State Minister for Primary Education, and UBOS Executive Director Chris N. Mukiza, emphasized the importance of the census in ensuring quality education statistics that will help shape the future of education in Uganda.
UBOS reaffirmed its commitment to producing reliable data that supports the nation’s development goals and called upon all stakeholders to support the successful implementation of the BEC 2025.