What does a school in Uganda look like?

One of the biggest goals of the [SOUP] is education. Education opens so many doors. Education is a key in lifting people out of poverty. But I'm sure many of us don't know what education in Uganda looks like. I didn't know until I was here and immersed in it. So since one of the biggest aspects of the [SOUP] is our school, I thought I would give a little background of what the education system is like in Uganda.

Similar to preschool in the United States, Ugandan children can attend nursery school. This is not required for children to attend before going to school, but like preschool it definitely gives the kids a head start. The school system in Uganda starts with Primary School. It have 7 levels. After finishing primary 7, the student then goes to Secondary School. In secondary school there are 6 levels. Every school has a different uniform with different colors. The students are required to wear the uniforms everyday. You can tell which school the kids go to based on the color of their uniform. There is no such thing a free, public school in Uganda. All schools cost fees, and the better the school the higher the fees. Education is not a required thing for kids since it costs money. Because of this kids start school at all different times. A 15 year old could be starting Primary 1 with a 6 year old. This makes the class dynamics different and can make it difficult for the teachers to teach. The actual teaching can be a little sketchy sometimes too. The most used method of teaching is to write things over and over and over or to just repeat after the teacher. There is little to no creativity.

School days start at about 7 in the morning. For Primary 1 and 2, the students get out after lunch at 1, which you only get if you paid for it. For the older levels the students get out at 5. For Primary 5, 6, and 7 the students also have to go to school on Saturday...pretty intense! If a kid can get through all of this and pass all their exams, then they can continue on to University. There are few universities in Uganda, and few university students as well.

This is a little overview of the school system in Uganda.... pretty different from the United States. It may seem kind of depressing, but I don't think all hope is lost or I wouldn't be in Uganda right now. I think Uganda has made many strides to try and get more kids in school. Hopefully the [SOUP]'s school will be the beginning to a bright future for the kids we are working with.