KIKUUBE, Uganda — President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Wednesday presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for Bunyoro University, emphasizing the need for free education in government schools and poverty eradication to ensure ordinary children benefit from higher education.
Speaking at the event in Kikuube District, Museveni 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,” Museveni said. “The rich can take their children to private schools, but those from poor families should have no excuse for dropping out.”
Museveni also advised university planners to prioritize courses that create employment opportunities. He cited the example of Mbarara University of Science and Technology, which started with medicine.
“A medical doctor cannot fail to get a job, whether here or abroad,” he said. “That is why we started Mbarara University with medicine.”
The president 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 establishment of Bunyoro University is part of the government’s vision to have a public university in every subregion of the country. The university will be constructed on a 100-acre piece of land donated by Canon Dr. Henry Wamani in Nyantwe Cell, Buhimba Town Council.
First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni, thanked stakeholders for their efforts in making the university a reality.
The government has invested 6.4 billion shillings in the preliminary processes of establishing Bunyoro University, which will offer 18 academic programs, all of which are in the sciences.
The event was attended by various dignitaries, including the Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, and the Chairperson of Bunyoro University Task Force, Professor Samuel Kyamanywa.
