Kampala, Uganda | URN | Government has clarified that schools are not banned from operating day care centres, but must comply with new regulations requiring each section to function as a separate, licensed entity.
Dr Safina Mutumba, the Assistant Commissioner in charge of Pre-primary Education at the Ministry of Education and Sports, said reports suggesting a ban were misleading and did not reflect the full policy position.
Dr Mutumba, one of the key framers of the policy, explained that schools can continue to run day care centres and pre-primary sections, provided they are registered, licensed, and managed independently from each other and from the main primary school.
She noted that during registration and licensing, each entity will be assessed separately and required to meet the minimum standards specific to its category.
The clarification comes amid growing anxiety among private school proprietors and day care managers, who feared the government was pushing them out of business following reports that schools had been barred from managing day care centres.
The new policy, however, still allows institutions operating within the same location to share facilities such as play areas, as long as there are clear agreements outlining access, safety, usage, and maintenance.
For years, pre-primary education operated under primary schools, with both sections licensed as a single unit. Government later introduced reforms requiring nursery sections, including day care units, to be registered under separate licences with defined minimum standards.
In response, some schools created distinct spaces within the same compound but physically separated from the primary section, while others established fully independent early childhood care and education (ECCE) centres.
The revised ECCE policy goes further by introducing a two-tier structure. It categorises early childhood education into Day Care for children aged 0-3 years, focused on care, nurturing, and stimulation, and Pre-primary for children aged 3-6 years, which emphasises play-based learning and school readiness.
Under this framework, both tiers must be registered. The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, working with local governments, will oversee centres for children aged 0-3 years, while the Ministry of Education and Sports will supervise institutions for children aged 3-6 years.
However, overall supervision and licensing of all ECCE centres will remain under local governments, implemented through city, district, and municipal authorities, with day-to-day oversight at sub-county, town council, or city division level.
Dr Mutumba also clarified that day care centres will strictly provide care services and will not involve formal teaching, and will be staffed by trained and licensed caregivers rather than teachers, in line with the policy guidelines.
