24 July 2026 | Kampala, Uganda
PEP-supported research on school feeding reaches Uganda’s Ministry of Education and Sports as it develops the country’s school feeding policy. A senior education official described the evidence as valuable to the education system at this critical stage of the policy process.
officials at the Policy conference
A National Policy Conference convened in Kampala by PEP-supported researcher Innocent Akampurira brought evidence on school feeding directly to Ugandan education stakeholders.
The conference attracted 29 participants, including representatives from the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Economic Policy Research Centre, Building Tomorrow and the Partnership for Economic Policy. Participants explored how the findings could inform efforts to improve attendance, foundational learning and pupils’ experiences in Uganda’s primary schools.
The programme included presentations on the effect of school feeding on educational outcomes and the relationship between corporal punishment and learning outcomes. A panel discussion on moving “from evidence to action” allowed participants to consider how the two studies could inform policies and interventions to improve foundational learning.
What the school feeding research found
Akampurira, a fellow in the Africa Fellows in Education Program and researcher with Building Tomorrow, presented findings on whether school feeding improves attendance, literacy and numeracy in Uganda.
The study used data from the 2024 Uwezo Uganda National Learning Assessment, covering 410 schools and 4,163 children aged 4 to 17. It examined school attendance, English literacy, local-language literacy and numeracy.
The analysis found that the proportion of pupils receiving meals was more important than the simple presence of a school feeding programme.
Among the key results highlighted:
- Seventy-one percent of schools reported having a feeding programme, with provision more common in private, urban and better-resourced schools.
- Schools where at least 75% of pupils received meals recorded stronger attendance and learning outcomes than schools with no feeding programme or limited coverage.
- Compared with schools where fewer than 25% of pupils were fed, high-coverage schools recorded potential gains of up to 11.1 percentage points in attendance, 12.8 percentage points in English literacy, 18.5 percentage points in numeracy and 6.8 percentage points in local-language reading.
- Attendance gains were stronger in schools with more manageable pupil-teacher ratios, indicating that school feeding works best when combined with a supportive learning environment.
- Government schools, rural schools and less-resourced communities remained disadvantaged in access to school feeding.
The findings indicate that partial or inconsistent feeding arrangements may produce limited benefits. School feeding is most likely to improve attendance and learning when meals reach a high proportion of pupils and are supported by adequate teachers, infrastructure and learning resources.
PEP-supported researcher Innocent Akampurira presents findings on school feeding and educational outcomes during the National Policy Conference in Kampala.
Evidence reaches policymakers at a critical time
Among the key participants was Abbey Musoke, Principal Education Officer in the Basic Education Department of the Ministry of Education and Sports. His work supports primary-level learning outcomes and school governance, placing him in a key position to consider how the findings could inform education policy and implementation.
Musoke described the research on school feeding and learning outcomes as valuable to Uganda’s education system, particularly as the ministry drafts its school feeding policy.
His response highlighted the timeliness of the evidence and its potential to contribute to ongoing discussions on how school feeding can support attendance and foundational learning.
Participants also discussed findings presented by Mugume, a fellow in the Africa Fellows in Education Program and researcher at the Economic Policy Research Centre, on corporal punishment and learning outcomes in Uganda’s primary schools.
The panel discussion and question-and-answer session brought together policymakers, researchers and practitioners to consider how evidence on school feeding and reducing corporal punishment could be translated into practical action.
From evidence to action
Based on the school feeding findings, Akampurira recommends expanding the proportion of pupils who receive meals rather than focusing only on the number of schools reporting that they have a feeding programme.
The study also calls for the Government of Uganda to:
- operationalise the national school feeding policy;
- prioritise government, rural and other underserved schools;
- establish stronger standards for the coverage and consistency of school meals; and
- strengthen complementary investments in teachers, water, sanitation and school infrastructure.
These recommendations are particularly relevant because Uganda’s school feeding system relies heavily on household contributions. An estimated 76% of funding comes from parents, contributing to inequalities in access between urban and rural areas and between better- and less-resourced schools.
The conference brought locally generated evidence directly to government officials while the school feeding policy is being developed. Continued engagement with the Ministry of Education and Sports could help ensure that decisions on school feeding consider not only whether programmes exist, but also whether they consistently reach the pupils who need them most.
The research was conducted through the Africa Fellows in Education Program, a joint initiative of the Partnership for Economic Policy and the Global Education Analytics Institute, funded by the Yidan Prize.
