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The government has increased funding for education, skills development and sports in the 2026/27 financial year.
Part of the additional allocation has been earmarked for a long-awaited salary enhancement for arts and primary school teachers. According to the budget speech presented by Finance minister Henry Musasizi, the sector will receive more than Shs 6.66 trillion, up from Shs 5.04 trillion in the previous financial year.
The allocation represents 7.82 per cent of the projected national budget of Shs 84.4 trillion, compared to 6.97 per cent of last year’s Shs 72.376 trillion budget. The salary enhancement will see arts teachers and primary school teachers receive a 25 per cent increase in pay beginning in the 2026/27 financial year.
Under the adjustment, the minimum monthly salary for primary school teachers will rise from Shs 499,684 to Shs 624,605. Secondary school arts teachers holding degrees will see their salaries increase from Shs 960,288 to Shs 1,200,360, while diploma holders will earn Shs 931,250, up from Shs 745,000.
Musasizi said the government has allocated an additional Shs 568.65 billion to finance the salary enhancement.
“Beginning FY 2026/27, an additional Shs 568.65 billion has been allocated to enhance salaries for primary school teachers and arts teachers in secondary schools and BTVET institutions,” he said.
The adjustment will benefit more than 155,000 teachers and forms the first phase of a broader Shs 2.5 trillion programme aimed at narrowing the salary gap that emerged after science teachers received substantial pay increases in the 2022/23 financial year.
The reforms are also aligned with the National Teacher Policy (2019) and the human capital development targets under the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV).
Beyond salaries, the education sector allocation will support five key priorities, including expanding access to quality Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE), strengthening Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and vocational training, improving teacher welfare and training, implementing curriculum reforms, and supporting public universities and research institutions.
Part of the funding will also go towards completing sports infrastructure projects ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The government also plans to recruit additional teachers to address staffing shortages across the country.
Michael Aliyo, the commissioner for planning, told Parliament’s education committee in April that the ministry intends to recruit 3,000 teachers, comprising 1,842 science teachers and 1,158 arts teachers.
The recruitment is expected to ease staffing gaps, particularly in newly established seed secondary schools. The Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) has welcomed the salary enhancement.
UNATU national chairperson Zadock Tumuhimbise said the government should honour its commitment and ensure that salary enhancements are implemented progressively in line with agreed plans.
However, he noted that non-teaching staff, who also play a critical role in the education sector, have been left out of the increment and should be considered in future adjustments.
Despite the increased allocation, Uganda’s education spending remains below regional and international benchmarks. The country currently spends about 2.7 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on education, below the East African average of 4.2 per cent and UNESCO’s recommended range of between 4 and 6 per cent.
Data from the 2019/20 Uganda National Household Survey indicates that for every Shs 1,000 spent by the government on primary education, households contribute about Shs 1,450.
Meanwhile, the Uganda Human Capital Development and Growth Review Report 2025 paints a picture of a strained education system characterised by overcrowded classrooms, low teacher pay, heavy workloads, weak learning outcomes and widening inequality.
The report, jointly produced by the government and the World Bank, warns that meeting future demand will require substantial investment.
It projects that by 2040, Uganda will need a 440 per cent increase in education spending, an additional 360,000 teachers, more than double the current classroom stock and nearly four times the existing number of textbooks.
Related
, https://observer.ug/news/arts-teachers-salaries-increased-by-25/
