The Ugandan Government has officially permitted the use of electronic devices, including mobile phones, in primary and secondary schools. Dr. Aminah Zawedde, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of ICT, while speaking during the launch of the Uganda Information Communication Technology (UICT) Augmented Virtual Reality (AVR) project steering committee in Nakawa, Kampala announced this.
She emphasized that these devices will be strictly regulated by school authorities to ensure they are used solely for educational purposes. “We have authorized students to use mobile phones, laptops, and tablets in school settings, but this must occur within a controlled environment,” Dr. Zawedde stated. She compared the use of these devices to traditional note-taking with books, emphasizing their role in research and learning activities.
Addressing concerns about the affordability of these gadgets for all families, Dr. Zawedde assured that the government is actively working on strategies to make smartphones more accessible. “We recognize the high costs associated with IT devices. Therefore, the government is implementing initiatives such as furnishing school computer labs and exploring additional measures to reduce the prices of these devices, making them more affordable over time,” she added.
This move aligns with Uganda’s Vision 2040, which aims to transition the country from an agrarian economy to a knowledge-based one. This model is projected to achieve middle-income status by 2040. The integration of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) into the national development plan is a cornerstone of this vision.
In a related development, the Principal of Uganda Institute of Information and Communications Technology UICT highlighted the progress of the five-year AVR project. He noted that 1,267 students and staff have already enrolled on the AVR platform, with a total of 1,370 logins recorded. To date, 5,000 educator licenses have been allocated, with 1,267 issued to UICT personnel and students, while 750 enterprise licenses are still pending distribution.
