National student assessments from Uganda suggest low levels of proficiency for students in primary and secondary schools. This is confirmed by data for primary schools from the 2013 Service Delivery Indicators survey. The data are used in this article to conduct an assessment of factors affecting student performance. A unique feature of the data is that comparisons can be made not only between public and private schools, but also between Catholic and non-Catholic schools, with most of the Catholic schools being public schools. The analysis looks at student performance on tests for English, numeracy, non-verbal reasoning, and the student’s overall score for the three dimensions combined. Explanatory factors include a wide range of school, teacher, child, and community characteristics. After controlling for these factors, students in private schools, Catholic or not, tend to perform better than those in public schools, Catholic or not. By contrast, differences between Catholic and non-Catholic schools, especially when the schools are public, appear to matter less for student performance.

Teachers who are satisfied with their job are more likely to teach well, which in turn should enable their students to better learn while in school. Sub-Saharan Africa is currently experiencing a learning crisis, with close to nine out of ten children not able to read and understand a simple text at age 10. This affects all types of schools and students, including students in Catholic and other faith-based schools. Improving working conditions and job satisfaction among teachers is part of the answer to this learning crisis. After a brief discussion of data for Nigeria, this article looks at the level of satisfaction of teachers in Uganda, its determinants, and its impact on the quality teaching. Specifically, four questions are asked: What is the level of teacher job satisfaction in Uganda? How does job satisfaction relate to the characteristics of teachers? What is the impact of teachers’ satisfaction on their performance, as it can be measured through various variables of teacher effort? Finally, what are the main factors affecting satisfaction according to teachers? The answers to these questions have implications for policy and practice in faith-based as well as in other schools.

Compares the targeting performance of piped water subsidies embedded in tariff structures in 18 countries, including Uganda, using a framework measuring both "access" and "subsidy design" factors affecting targeting performance. Uganda has the lowest targeting performance to the poor of its subsidies among all sample countries, because so few households in poverty connect to the country's water network. Overall, consumption subsidies for piped water appear very poorly targeted in African countries, because most poor households live in areas without any available service, and even when potential access exists, the equipment needed to use piped water may prove too high. Moving from traditional Inverted Block Tariff (IBT) to volume differentiated tariff (VDT) tariff structures, could lead to lower prices for poorer households' smaller consumption levels, which could help reduce subsidies allocated by governments to piped water consumption. Other alternatives might include providing connection as opposed to consumption subsidies.

Discusses the issue of the cost of water for households in Uganda not connected to the water network by (1) documenting the sources of water used by households, noting that most households and especially the poor do not have domestic water connections; and (2) measuring the cost of water from public taps and comparing it with the cost of other sources of water. When households remain disconnected to the water network and must rely on water providers—a typical state of affairs in urban areas—they may end up paying a higher price per unit of consumption than households that benefit from a connection to the network. This typically proves true not only for tankers and street vendors, but also for public taps (or standpipes) because of the role played by intermediaries in operating the taps—their operating costs and profits reaped by (often private) tap operators.

Provides a basic diagnostic of access to improved water sources in Uganda—based on four rounds of nationally representative household surveys, as well as a brief quantitative analysis of focus group data—by (1) presenting summary statistics on trends in water access; (2) discussing constraints to safe water access; and (3) analyzing qualitative data from focus groups on constraints faced by households in order to provide a better understanding of some of the factors limiting access to safe water in communities. Only a small minority of households have access to piped water, whether in the dwelling or through public standpipes. When considering other water sources defined as improved by the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP), about three in four households could have access, at least in principle. Cost remains a constraint, especially in Kampala. In other areas, distances to safe water sources, and perceptions that open water sources remain good enough, also play a role.

Presents a basic diagnostic of sanitation in Uganda based on nationally representative household surveys, along with a brief quantitative analysis of focus-group data. Only a small minority of households have access to improved sanitation as defined by the WHO-UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program for Water and Sanitation (JMP). The landscape of the types of toilets, waste disposal techniques, bathroom facilities, and hand washing practices observed has not changed fundamentally over the last decade. Both surveys and qualitative data identify continual constraints to access to sanitation. Cultural traditions and traditional behaviors, negative attitudes, and lack of income remain among the main reasons for incomplete latrine/toilet coverage in communities. Poor landscape or terrain, poor soil type, and a lack of land also play a role. Poor hygiene habits also prove related to lack of affordability, attitudes, at times ignorance or at least cultural norms and traditional behaviors (in rural areas), and lack of space (in urban areas).

This World Bank Study provides a basic diagnostic of residential piped water coverage and affordability in Uganda and its relationship with poverty using a series of nationally representative household surveys for the period 2002–13. The study fi rst analyzes trends in piped water coverage using both administrative and survey data. Demand-side and supply-side factors reducing the take-up of piped water service by households in areas where the service is available are estimated. The study also documents the extent to which piped water coverage enables households to shift time use away from domestic tasks toward market work, and the benefi cial effect that this may have on poverty. The targeting performance to the poor of water subsidies is estimated and results obtained for Uganda are compared with estimates for other countries. Finally, the study analyzes issues related to affordability—including the impact of the tariff increase of 2012 on household consumption, poverty, and piped water affordability—as well as the cost for households to connect to the piped water network.

Provides a basic diagnostic of access, take-up, and coverage rates for residential piped water in Uganda, using administrative data as well as nationally representative household surveys, which suggest a good correspondence between the administrative and household survey data. Despite an expansion of the distribution network, connection rates remain very low due to population growth, but also a reduction in household size. In 2012/13, residential piped water coverage reached 7 percent, a substantial proportional increase from the rate of 3.7 percent in 2005/06, but a small gain in absolute percentage terms, given the population's needs. The surveys also estimated consumption of piped water in cubic meters as well as the share of household that declare network connection without paying for service. That share decreases over time and proved relatively low in 2012/13, at only about 3 percent of the households connected. An indirect indication shows the quality of water provision has improved over time.

This study provides a basic diagnostic of access to safe water and sanitation in Uganda and their relationship with poverty. While the analysis is not meant to lead directly to policy recommendations, some of the findings are relevant for policy. The analysis relies on a series of nationally representative household surveys for the period 2002–2013, as well as on qualitative data collection. The study first analyzes trends in access to safe water and some of the constraints faced by households in this area using mostly household survey data (chapter 2). The issue of the cost of water for households without a connection to the water network is discussed with a focus on public stand pipes (chapter 3). Qualitative data are then presented on the obstacles faced by households in accessing safe water (chapter 4). The last two chapters are devoted to sanitation. As for safe water, the focus is first on household survey data about sanitation, including with respect to toilets, bathrooms, waste disposal, and hand washing (chapter 5), and next on an analysis of qualitative data from focus groups and key informants (chapter 6). Finally, the study reviews policies and programs that have been implemented in order to provide access to water and sanitation for the poor, as well as options going forward (chapter 7).

Focuses on one of the benefits for Uganda households from a connection to the water network, using the time use module of the last round of the Uganda National Household Survey for 2012/13. Piped water coverage may help household shift time from domestic to market work, a shift observed for women, but not men. Simulations suggest that by providing piped water to all households living in areas with available networks at the neighborhood level, connections for households not yet connected would enable women to increase market work by about 1.5 hours on average. The poverty incidence would decrease by up to one percentage point, and the impact on the poverty gap would prove similar proportionally. These gains may not seem large because the poverty measures remain low in households living in areas with access—mostly Kampala and other large cities—but for those who may benefit, these gains in consumption can prove very important.

Provides a detailed qualitative analysis of some of the challenges and constraints faced by households in Uganda in accessing safe water—as well as some of their ongoing efforts to improve water sources in their communities—by describing the methodology adopted for the qualitative fieldwork and discussing the data collected through focus groups and key informant interviews. Factors contributing to a lack of water availability in many communities include the lack of functionality, lack of responsibility, and scarcity. Factors contributing to a lack of quality water used by households and communities include the perceptions of what constitutes safe water as well as factors preventing households from taking necessary steps to improve water quality. Overall, the qualitative fieldwork suggests the constraints faced by households prove complex, requiring solutions both context- and community-specific. This does not lead to cookie-cutter solutions but proves important in order to document precisely because of the variety of local circumstances.

Provides a qualitative analysis of some of the challenges and constraints faced by Ugandan households in benefitting from adequate sanitation—as well as some of their ongoing efforts to improve sanitation in their dwellings and their communities—which focuses on (1) lack of household latrines ; (2) community alternatives to private latrines; (3) obstacles encountered in building latrines; (4) incentives leading to building more and better latrines; (5) modes of waste disposal used by households; and (6) hand washing. Many communities have limited toilet facilities, with quite a few existing latrines in a state of disrepair and private latrines proving unaffordable for many. Improved sanitation also requires proper waste removal, but most communities and households face limited ability to properly dispose of waste. The practice of hand washing remains the exception rather than the rule. Overall, leadership and perseverance at the local level appear necessary for implementing solutions that often prove context- and community-specific.

Reports that the impact of the 2012 network tariff increase on households has proven small. The survey results show that the piped water tariff increase did not affect poverty in any substantial way, because so few households in poverty appear connected. In addition, piped water appears to remain affordable for the households connected to the network, and it would also prove affordable for most households living in areas with access (as measured in the surveys) but not yet connected. However, insights from qualitative fieldwork suggest that connection costs, as opposed to consumption costs, remain an issue, with many households living in areas with network coverage not able to connect in part because of those costs. Finally, the cost of water obtained by households from public stand pipes may prove higher than it should, and access to safe water remains an issue for many households not connected to the network.

Assesses the targeting performance to the poor of (actual or potential) subsidies embedded in the tariff structure for piped water in Uganda. The framework for this assessment allowed for measuring both "access" and "subsidy design" factors affecting targeting performance. Due to very low connection rates to piped water among the poor, piped water subsidies remain (or would prove) very poorly targeted. Changing some of the parameters of the tariff structure, such as introducing blocks through an Inverted Block Tariff (IBT) or volume differentiated tariff (VDT) tariff structure, would not improve the targeting performance simply because of the weight of access factors. By contrast, providing connection subsidies as opposed to consumption subsidies might increase the share of the subsidies received by the poor. Overall, these results, while not surprising, provide a useful quantification of basic parameters that can inform policy toward access and affordability of piped water.

Good health and quality education are essential for economic growth and poverty reduction. Unfortunately, the quality of the education and health services provided in low-income countries is often low. Improving access and quality of education and health are key policy goals for Uganda. This paper builds on the Service Delivery Indicator study by further exploring issues related to the quality of service delivery in Uganda. The paper analyzes the quality of service from a poverty perspective, to contribute to the ongoing policy debate on the quality of service delivery in Uganda, especially in the education and health sectors. Combining data from the Service Delivery Indicator and the Uganda National Household Survey surveys, the paper shows a strong correlation between welfare and quality of service. The quality of service is lowest for those living in poor areas. This has implications for pupils’ learning outcomes. Pupils in poor areas perform poorly on a standardized test covering English, numeracy, and nonverbal reasoning. Increased access to education was not accompanied by improvement in learning outcomes. Results from econometric analysis suggest that improvements in school facilities, improvements in the quality of teaching, and the knowledge base of teachers could bring substantial gains in student performance, particularly in poor communities. Despite the low quality they face, if the poor are more satisfied with the service, this has implications for demand for social accountability, as the poor often are not exposed to or ignore the standard of service to which they should refer.

Sustainability and environmental issues, including the threat of global warming, are at the core of the recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals.1 The agreement reached at the 2015 United Nat...

Uganda suffers from substantial school infrastructuregaps, which need to be addressed to better serve the student population. Due to ambitious goals for the education system and rapid population growth, the number of children in primary and secondary school isexpected to nearly double overall by 2025 versus the size of the education system a dozen years earlier. This dramatic expansion will require building new schools apart from improving/expanding existing ones.This note focuses on two topics related to schoolinfrastructure and construction. The first part of the note provides a rapid diagnostic of the state of school infrastructure today in Uganda. The second part of the note discusses implementation challenges in school construction by looking at the lessons that can be learned from the experience of the Universal Post Primary Education and Training (UPPET) Adaptable ProgramLending 1 (APL 1) Project, in terms of the selection of the schools for investments and design as well as procurement challenges, costs and delays.

Due to population growth and gains in educationattainment, the size of Uganda's education system isexpected to grow dramatically in the next dozen years inUganda. This will create pressure on scarce budgetresources. In order to accommodate larger cohorts ofstudents and provide an education of quality, gains ininternal efficiency will have to be achieved, but in additionsubstantial additional funding will also be needed.This note discusses issues related to the level andefficiency of spending for education in Uganda. After abrief review of recent enrollment trends and levels ofeducation attainment in the country, data on both publicand private spending for education are provided. One keyfinding is public spending for education has not kept pacewith enrollment. In part as a result, households currentlyshoulder almost two thirds of public and private educationspending in the country. Potential future trends in studentenrollment as well as budget implications are alsodiscussed, suggesting that education spending as a shareof GDP may need to increase substantially to achieveuniversal upper secondary completion