Ministry of Education must end holiday teaching in schools
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For many families, school holidays are a precious opportunity to have children back home. Parents get to hear their stories, share meals, play together, and reconnect after a demanding term. Yes, having children at home can sometimes be stressful, especially for working parents. But that does not make the holiday unnecessary. A school holiday is part of a child’s education, not a wasted period. Yet across Uganda, some schools continue teaching, coaching and organising academic programmes during holidays, particularly for upper classes and candidates. This practice must stop as our children begin their holidays.
A holiday is not a luxury
Children need time away from classrooms to rest physically, mentally, and emotionally. They need unstructured play, family interaction, sleep, recreation, chores and opportunities to explore interests outside textbooks. When every holiday becomes another classroom, what exactly are we protecting, the child’s education or the school’s academic targets? Uganda’s mental-health situation should make us more cautious. The State of Uganda Population Report 2025 estimates that 22.9% of children and 24.2% of adults are affected by mental-health conditions. Recent concerns raised by mental-health advocates have specifically pointed to academic pressure and long school hours as factors exposing children to emotional distress. It is amazing to see that children’s mental health issues outcompete those of parents, yet parents are the ones with so much on their plates, like family upkeep, school fees, loans, etc. If we know children need protection from excessive pressure, why do we continue creating an education system in which the school calendar never seems to end?
When does learning become too much?
In some schools, the term ends on Friday and children return for holiday lessons on Monday, or after one week. Others are required to report before the official opening date because schools want to compensate for days they have voluntarily taken away from the holiday. Some schools have gone further, with extremely early morning preparations and children travelling long distances before sunrise and returning home late. We must ask: Is a Primary Four child in the boarding section really supposed to wake up at 4 am for classes? What is so special in this new curriculum a child is learning? The Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) has previously warned schools against teaching during official holidays. The problem, therefore, is no longer simply the existence of a policy. The real question is enforcement. In April 2026, the Ministry reportedly directed local authorities to act against schools and teachers conducting lessons during holidays. So, what happens after the warning? Could it be because some senior officials in the MoES have schools that are also expensive. I smell another corruption tendency here. I feel that if the officials themselves are culprits when they are supposed to be the custodians of such policies and protectors of our children, then nothing might be done to protect our children from academic pressure and mental health challenges.
Parents are trapped
Many parents genuinely want their children to rest. But they are trapped by competition among schools. If some schools conduct holiday lessons and others don’t, parents fear that their children will fall behind. A child who stays home may return to school and discover that classmates have already covered new material. This creates a vicious cycle. Schools teach because they fear losing academic advantage; parents comply because they fear their children will be disadvantaged; and children lose their holidays. Who, then, is protecting the child? Even when a parent keeps the child at home, the child may not necessarily rest mentally because when the schools officially resume, there will be a cost to pay in some way. The Ministry must break this cycle.
Schools must not become cash cows
Holiday teaching is also part of a wider concern about the financial pressure placed on parents. Parents are already heavily paying fees, transport, meals, uniforms, scholastic materials and numerous school requirements. Yet every term brings another list. Why, for example, must every child bring a ream of paper? In a school with 500 learners, that is 500 reams. Where do they all go? Why must every child bring multiple brooms, brushes, squeezers, and other items when schools already have hundreds of learners yet with a few toilet facilities, squeezed and congested dormitories, and paved compounds? What are they sweeping daily or cleaning daily that requires all that? These questions deserve transparent answers and stronger regulation. We deserve fairness for our children. We also need a policy on school fees and requirements charged to us.
Ministry, inspectors and parents must act
As this holiday begins, I challenge the MoES to issue a clear public directive requiring 100% compliance with the official school calendar. DEOs and school inspectors should actively monitor schools rather than waiting for complaints. School proprietors who deliberately violate the calendar should face meaningful consequences. Parents also have a responsibility. We must stop measuring good education by how little free time our children have. A child who rests is not wasting time. A child who plays is not necessarily falling behind. A child who spends time with family is learning too.
It is not yet too late
Uganda needs an education system that develops healthy, creative, resilient, and competent human beings, not exhausted examination machines. The question is simple: If adults need weekends, annual leave, and rest to remain productive, why should children be denied the same human need? Let this holiday be different. Let our children go home. Let them sleep. Let them play. Let them talk. Let them laugh. Let them reconnect with their families. Let them rest. And let the Ministry ensure that a school holiday is truly a holiday. This will reduce academic pressure, promote greater equity between private and public schools, narrow the gap between urban and rural learners, ease the financial burden on parents, and help address the growing mental-health challenges among children.
The writer is the Executive Director of Hope Regeneration Africa, Parenting Coach, Marriage Counsellor, and Founder of the Men of Purpose Mentorship Programme.