Editorial
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Wednesday presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for Bunyoro University, emphasizing the need for free education in government schools and the eradication of household poverty to ensure ordinary children benefit from higher education.
Speaking at the event in Kikuube District, the President urged leaders to implement free Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE) to prevent school dropouts, particularly among children from poor families.
“Insist on free education for children in government schools and implement it. The rich can take their children to private schools, but those from poor families should have no excuse for dropping out,” he said.
He warned that without free education and economic empowerment at the household level, local children may not access Bunyoro University.
“If families are still poor, children will drop out of school. If they drop out, who will attend this university? You will find students from other regions because local children didn’t complete primary or secondary education. A university is not a marketplace, you must go through the education system to qualify,” he noted.
The President highlighted the need for families to support their children’s education beyond the limited government scholarships available.
President Museveni also advised university planners to prioritize courses that create employment opportunities. He shared lessons from establishing Mbarara University of Science and Technology, where he insisted on starting with medicine.
President Museveni reminded leaders that when the NRM government took power, Uganda had only one public university Makerere which was producing just 80 doctors annually.
