Barriers to Accessing Quality Education among Refugees in Uganda: Institutional, Economic, and Sociocultural Perspectives.
By: Olivier MAPEMA BAKOMEZI,
Director of the Refugees Parliamentarians for Peace-RPP
and Chairman of the Congolese Urban Refugee Community.
Date: May 25th, 2026.
Introduction
Education is widely recognized as a fundamental human right and an essential tool for social transformation, economic empowerment, and peacebuilding. For refugees, education offers more than academic knowledge; it provides hope, protection, stability, and opportunities for rebuilding disrupted lives. Despite global commitments to inclusive education under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4), millions of refugee children and youth continue to face serious obstacles in accessing quality education.
In Ouganda, one of Africa’s largest refugee-hosting countries, the government has adopted progressive refugee policies that allow refugees to access public services, including education. Refugees from countries such as South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Somalia are integrated into national education systems and live in settlements including Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement, Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Kyangwali Refugee Settlement, KyakaII Refugee settlement, and Kampala.
Although Uganda’s refugee model is internationally praised, access to quality education for refugees remains limited by institutional, economic, and sociocultural barriers. These challenges continue to undermine educational inclusion and long-term development opportunities for refugee communities.
Institutional Barriers to Refugee Education
One of the major challenges affecting refugee education in Uganda is the limited educational infrastructure in refugee-hosting areas. Schools in refugee settlements are often overcrowded due to the rapid increase in refugee populations and insufficient government resources.
In many schools, a single classroom may accommodate more than one hundred learners, making effective teaching and learning extremely difficult. Teachers are frequently overwhelmed by excessive workloads, while shortages of trained educators further reduce educational quality. Limited teaching materials, inadequate sanitation facilities, and poor classroom conditions also negatively affect students’ learning experiences.
Another important challenge is the gap between policy and implementation. While Uganda has strong legal frameworks supporting refugee education, practical implementation often depends heavily on humanitarian organizations and donor funding. Inconsistent financial support affects the sustainability of educational programs, particularly in remote refugee settlements.
Distance to schools also remains a serious concern, especially for younger children and girls who may face safety risks while traveling long distances.
Economic Challenges Facing Refugee Learners
Poverty is one of the most significant barriers preventing refugees from accessing quality education. Although Uganda provides free primary education through the Universal Primary Education (UPE) policy, refugee families still struggle with indirect school expenses such as uniforms, transportation, examination fees, meals, and scholastic materials and other requirements.
Many refugee households depend on humanitarian assistance and informal economic activities for survival. As a result, education may become a secondary priority compared to basic needs such as food, shelter, and healthcare.
Economic hardship often forces refugee children into child labor or domestic responsibilities to support their families. Some children engage in agriculture, petty trade, or household work instead of attending school regularly. These economic pressures contribute to high dropout rates and low educational completion among refugee learners.
Girls are particularly vulnerable to educational exclusion due to financial constraints. In some cases, early marriage is viewed as a coping strategy for economically vulnerable households, further limiting girls’ educational opportunities.
Sociocultural Barriers and Educational Exclusion
Beyond institutional and economic difficulties, sociocultural factors also shape refugees’ educational experiences in Uganda.
Language barriers remain a major obstacle for many refugee learners. Refugees arriving from French-speaking or Arabic-speaking countries often struggle to adapt to English-medium instruction used in Ugandan schools. This language gap affects classroom participation, academic performance, and social integration.
Discrimination and stigma can also negatively influence refugee students’ confidence and motivation. Some refugee learners experience exclusion, bullying, or unequal treatment within schools and host communities.
Gender inequality continues to affect access to education, especially for girls. Cultural norms within certain communities may prioritize boys’ education while assigning girls domestic responsibilities. Menstrual hygiene challenges, insecurity, and gender-based violence further increase the risk of school dropout among refugee girls.
In addition, many refugee children have experienced conflict, displacement, family separation, and psychological trauma. Without adequate psychosocial support services, trauma can significantly affect concentration, emotional well-being, and academic achievement.
The Need for Inclusive and Sustainable Solutions
Improving refugee education in Uganda requires coordinated efforts from government institutions, humanitarian agencies, civil society organizations, and international partners.
Investment in educational infrastructure is essential to reduce overcrowding and improve learning environments in refugee-hosting districts. More qualified teachers should be recruited and trained in inclusive education, multilingual instruction, and trauma-informed teaching approaches.
Financial support mechanisms such as scholarships, school feeding programs, and distribution of learning materials can help reduce economic barriers for refugee learners. Special attention should also be given to girls’ education through targeted protection programs and community awareness initiatives.
Psychosocial support services must be strengthened within schools to address trauma and improve students’ mental well-being. At the same time, language support programs can facilitate smoother academic integration for refugee learners from diverse linguistic backgrounds.
Most importantly, refugee education policies must move beyond symbolic commitments toward effective implementation supported by sustainable funding and stronger institutional coordination.
Conclusion
Uganda has made significant efforts to promote refugee inclusion and educational access. However, refugees continue to face multiple institutional, economic, and sociocultural barriers that limit access to quality education.
Overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, poverty, language difficulties, discrimination, gender inequality, and trauma collectively undermine refugee learners’ educational experiences and future opportunities.
Ensuring quality education for refugees is not only a humanitarian responsibility but also an investment in social cohesion, peacebuilding, and sustainable development. Strengthening educational inclusion for refugees can contribute to more resilient communities and a more equitable society in Uganda and beyond.