Iganga, Uganda: The Iganga District coordinator of the Office of the National Chairman (ONC), Buyinza Abdulrahim, has urged parents to fully utilise the government’s free education programmes as schools reopen for the first term of 2026.
Speaking to DailyExpress on Tuesday, Buyinza called on parents to enrol all school-age children, describing free education as one of the major gains delivered under the National Resistance Movement government.
He also congratulated Yoweri Kaguta Museveni upon winning the January 15, 2026 presidential election, which featured eight contenders, and appealed for peace and unity among Ugandans following the polls.
“I want to congratulate President Museveni upon winning the presidential race. Some of the gains we have been talking about, such as Universal Primary Education (UPE), Universal Secondary Education (USE) and technical studies, are already in place, and we ask people to embrace them,” Buyinza said.
Buyinza cautioned administrators of government-aided schools against charging illegal fees, warning that such practices risk locking out children from education and undermining government programmes.
“To government school heads, let us not put conditions that burden parents when taking children back to school,” he said. “The initiative of free education was started by Mzee Museveni to support the education sector, and charging fees may cause the government to lose ground.”
He urged school managers and parents to reach mutual agreements on feeding arrangements, saying government presence is only felt when services are accessible to all learners.
While defending free education, Buyinza challenged parents to meet their responsibilities, particularly ensuring that children are fed while at school.
“No child can study on an empty stomach and perform well,” he said.
“Parents agree in meetings to feed their children but later ignore the resolutions. This must change.”
The appeal comes as Term One of the 2026 academic calendar officially began on Tuesday after a slight delay caused by the election period. The Ministry of Education and Sports had revised the calendar to allow the country to conclude election activities that extended into early February.
Despite calls from stakeholders, learner turnout—especially in government schools in Iganga—was reportedly low on the first day.
The Inspector of Schools for Iganga Municipality, Kabambwe Benard, has since urged parents to promptly enrol their children and provide necessary scholastic materials, noting that the term is short and time lost will be difficult to recover.
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