In 1997, the Government of Uganda launched the Universal Primary Education (UPE) program,
followed by the Universal Secondary Education (USE), with a vision to democratize education
regardless of socio-economic background. These tuition-free programs have since transformed
the country’s educational landscape. Enrollment numbers have surged dramatically, with over
eight million young people now attending school who would otherwise have been excluded due
to financial constraints.

While both boys and girls are presented with the same opportunity to attend school under these
programs, their experiences within the education system are not equal. For many adolescent girls, the promise of universal education is interrupted by sexual and reproductive health challenges that remain insufficiently addressed within school and community structures. Teenage pregnancy, limited access to accurate sexual and reproductive health information and menstrual poverty continue to push thousands of girls out of school each year. This hinders Uganda’s progress towards achieving SDG 5-to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

The 2022 report by The Uganda Demographic and Health Survey shows that 1 in every 4 girls aged 15-19 years drops out of school due to teenage pregnancy. This is mostly due to limited access to comprehensive sexuality education leaving many young people without accurate information to make informed decisions about their bodies. Teenage pregnancy often results in stigma, school expulsion or even self-withdrawal from school due to shame and social pressure.

Menstrual poverty further compounds the problem. Like the story published on 24th June 2024 by the Daily Monitor national newspaper about a 17-year old student from Buyala in Jinja City who uses soil packed in perforated polythene bags as her sanitary pad during menstruation periods, many such untold stories exist in Uganda’s rural communities. Many girls lack access to affordable sanitary products, safe water, and private sanitation facilities at school. As a result, they miss several days of school each month or drop out entirely. What appears to be equal opportunity under tuition-free education policies becomes unequal in practice when biological and social realities are ignored. Although boys and girls are enrolled in good numbers at the entry level, the education system does not adequately account for the gender-specific barriers that hinder girls’ retention and completion of school. Consequently, only a limited number of young women are able to fully benefit from universal education unless they are specifically supported to navigate these reproductive health challenges.

Therefore, the core problem is not simply school access, it is the failure to align universal education policy with comprehensive sexual and reproductive health interventions. Without deliberate action to address teenage pregnancy, menstrual poverty, and reproductive health awareness, Uganda’s vision of education for all will remain aspirational rather than actual for many girls. True universality requires not only opening classroom doors but also ensuring that every girl has the support necessary to remain, learn, and successfully complete her education. Sexual and reproductive health is not a peripheral issue, it is central to educational equity, retention, and empowerment.

Without integrating comprehensive sexual and reproductive health support into education
policies and practice, the dream of universal education in Uganda will remain incomplete for
millions of young women.
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The Uganda Demographic and Health Survey report of 2022;” https://www.ubos.org/wp-
content/uploads/publications/UDHS-2022-Report.pdf”

Daily Monitor national newspaper;
“https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Period+poverty%3a+The+cost+of+menstruating+in+rural+Uga