External Evaluation of the PEAS Network in Uganda (2015-17)

Abstract

There is an urgent need for more good-quality secondary school places in Uganda, where the net enrolment rate has only climbed to 28%. PEAS has been working to help fill this need since 2008 through the Government of Uganda’s Universal Secondary Education public-private partnership (PPP). This report provides highlights and key findings from a three-year evaluation of PEAS schools, looking specifically at how PEAS has impacted on access to secondary education; quality of learning outcomes; and sustainability of the delivery model, including the cost to educate a child for a year. PEAS is a non-profit network of schools that is mission-driven to contribute to the Government of Uganda’s commitment to extend equitable access to good-quality secondary level education. The PPP entails private schools accepting a government capitation grant of UGX 47,000 per student per term in lieu of school tuition fees, and the programme was meant to incentivise schools to operate in poorer, under-served areas of the country. Despite the claims to universality, the government stipulated a score that young people must achieve on the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) in order to qualify for a USE capitation grant. This barrier, combined with the continuing imperative to pay certain fees and costs, has meant that many students are still not able to transition to secondary level.The PPP has attracted criticism surrounding the quality of education on offer at partner schools, and the efficiency of providing education in this way. An evaluation was needed to establish whether PEAS schools have proven worth the subsidy and are achieving their stated mission.