Morning and night preps in boarding primary and secondary schools could be banned or limited if the ministry of Education and Sports adopts a proposal to do so, sources in the ministry have told Bbeg Media.
Sources have told us that the proposal was highlighted in the report of Education Review Commission (which has not been made public) and is strongly supported by the First Lady, Janet Museveni who is also the minister of Education and Sports.
The commission, chaired by Amanya Mushega, recommended that the preps be reviewed according to someone who has seen the report. It is not clear when this review will happen but sources said a decision on whether or not to ban preps will be made in early 2026.
Janet Museveni, sources said, has been vocal against preps and day schools that start lessons before 8.00 AM.
We have been told that one time, when she was on her way to Entebbe Airport, she encountered pupils in Namasuba going to school at 5.00 am. She was livid and said this practice had to stop.
Sources told us that Janet has also often wondered why pupils as young as eight or even students who are 15 years old in boarding schools are subjected to morning/night preps.
“Her view is that children need adequate time to rest after a day of classroom work. She thinks it is not fair for schools to subject these pupils to morning preps,” one of our sources said.
Many studies in Uganda and globally have pointed out that lack of sleep deprives pupils and students of the required sleep, and eventually this affects their psychological well-being.
One of the studies that has captured the ministry’s attention was conducted in 2019 by Robert Oluka for his PhD thesis: Sleep Quality and Psychological Wellbeing of Boarding Secondary School Students in Uganda.
Oluka’s findings painted a stark picture: students burning the midnight oil were grappling with poor sleep quality, heightened stress, and declining mental health.
The study found that there was a connection between sleep quality and the psychological well-being of students. The less the students slept, the more they experienced psychological issues such as depression, mood swings, and lack of motivation.
“It could be wise [for schools] to review hours of going to bed to 10.00 p.m. and waking up time to be 6.00 a.m. to help promote better sleep and psychological wellbeing,” Oluka recommended.
Night preps have long been a part of boarding school life in Uganda, and a proposal to ban them will ruffle many feathers, especially among those who own schools. The preps are for students to do self-revision, but over the years, some schools have used them to conduct extra lessons. They usually last two hours.
A director of one of the private primary schools who asked for anonymity told Bbeg Media that the proposal, if adopted, will be difficult to implement because of the sheer number of schools.
