Uganda - Apply for a Licence to Operate International School or Institution

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Procedure

1. Private international/institution school permit can be obtained from Ministry of Education and sports as required by Education statute Act 2008.
2. The intending proprietor should collect forms for licensing a private international school from MoES HQ/district/Municipal Education Office and fills them in triplicate following requirements as listed below.
   • An identifiable proprietor; he/she must be a person/organization of good reputation, no criminal record and with the necessary funds to manage the type of institution proposed to be established.
   • An intending proprietor has to get recommendation letters from LCI, LCIII and opinion/religious leader.
   • The planned school/institution must conform to the District/Municipal Education Plan and must be in line with the revised Education Sector Strategic Plan.
   • Written proof of ownership or lease of land on which the school/institution is to be situated or tenancy agreement that is valid for at least (5) five years for a secondary school and 8 years for a primary school (in case of hired buildings)
   • Which must have been designed and constructed for purposes of a school.
   • There must be enough land for expansion, playgrounds, school garden and physical education (urban schools may be considered as special cases).
   • There must be a development plan particularly for the licence period, and proof that 10% of the development plan funds are available.
3. With these in place, the intending proprietor writes to the Permanent Secretary (PS/ES), MoES, explaining his intensions and requesting for guidance to establish an international School.
4. Fill up the application form as prescribed by the Ministry of Education and sports and must be approved by the District Education Officer (DEO).
5. The proprietor seeks inspection of the school/institution by DIS/MIS and D/MHI to assess compliance with the requirements stipulated in Section 31 of the Education – (Pre-Primary, Primary and Post-Primary) Act 2008.
6. The District/Municipal Inspectors of Schools (D/MIS) and District/Municipal Health inspectors (D/MHI) after inspection write detailed inspection reports, and endorse the application forms and forwards to DEO/MEO to endorse application form as well.
7. The District/Municipal Education Officer forwards (3) three copies of the application forms and the relevant supporting documents on (3) three files to the PS/ES (in case of post primary) and CAO/Town Clerk (in case of Primary).
8. The PS/ES (in case of post primary), CAO/Town Clerk (in case of primary), basing on the reports or recommendations from the district or a report following a physical inspection by the inspectors, approves or rejects the application for licensing.
9. The PS/ES/CAO/Town Clerk upon approval awards an operational licence to the school/institution to last for (2) two school years as stipulated in Section 32 of the Education –(Pre - Primary, Primary and Post - Primary) Act 2008, and copies of the licence are also sent to the Director for Directorate of Education Standards, District/Municipal Education Officer, and District /Municipal Inspector of Schools.
10. MoES/DEO/MEO retains one file; the second file is for the DEO (in case of post primary) and the third file is for the school. The proprietor ensures that the school is given a copy.
11. Six months to the expiry of the two - year licence, the proprietor collects from the MoES (Headquarter), District/Municipal Education Offices a form for Registration.
12. In case the school does not qualify for registration, the proprietor must apply for renewal of license within one month of expiry of the license and it is granted once.License renewal is for one year only. If at the end of the year of renewal the proprietor is not ready to register the school, it will be closed summarily by PS/ES.
13. All new schools/institutions should start at the beginning of the academic year as set out in the schools/institutions calendar issued from time to time by the Ministry of Education and Sports. Applications for licensing schools, such as Pre – Primary, Primary and Secondary schools, should therefore be submitted to the PS/ES/CAO/Town Clerk starting from June. Licenses will be issued by the 30th December so that schools can start in January or February of the preceding year.
14. The proprietor must provide copies of the occupancy permit for the school structures.

• All the above requirements for license and registration of private schools apply to person(s)/organizations wishing to operate International schools,whether primary or post primary. In addition, they must have;
  

1. A letter of protocol from the relevant embassy/mission detailing the reputation of the intending proprietor, guaranteeing financial ability of the intending proprietor and confirming his/her citizenship.
2. A letter of accreditation from an international examining body validating and verifying the curriculum to be offered. This should be accompanied by a validation and verification report.
3. A suitable person with the requisite academic qualifications to head the school/Institution.
4. Teachers qualified to teach in such a school–their documents have to be equated by UNEB and verified by Teacher and Instructor Education Training Department.

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Required Documents

• A letter of protocol from the relevant embassy/mission.
• A letter of accreditation from an international examining body
• A copy of the license letter.
• The original certificate of registration of the school.
• Minutes of the BOG approving and/or recommending the setting up international School/Institution.
• The District Inspector of Schools’ report showing the school set up and other related Accommodation facilities.
• Report showing the list of basic facilities for the school and approved drawings (Building plans) available.
• Proof document showing Occupancy permit.
• Certificate of Occupational Safety and Health from the health official.
• Approved plan for water and sanitation system in the school.
• A list of safety promotions and injury prevention available in the school. (Fire safety system).
• Written permission to operate boarding facility from relevant authority.
• Proof of ownership or lease or tenancy agreement
• Occupancy permit for every dormitory
• Copy of the Public Health Act
• Copy of the Occupation Safety and Health Act

Office Locations & Contacts

Ministry of Education & Sports - Head Office,
Physical Address:Legacy Towers, Nakasero
Kyadondo Road
Block A And B
Postal address:P. O. BOX 7063 Kampala,
Uganda King George VI Way,
Embassy House,
Uganda
Tel: 0417 893 600 (General)
Tel: 0417 893 615 (P.R.O)
Email: [email protected]
Website:Link

Eligibility

• Any person, who wants to set up an international school/institution, can apply.
• The person or chairman of the school should be aware of the fact that the schools registered independently must operate in terms of the constraints set by the Constitution and National as well as District legislation.

Fees

Please approach the department office for any other fees details BUT license and registration of schools is free of charge.

Validity

Validity: specific period of time is 2 years.

Documents to Use

• Guidelines for establishing,licensing,registering and classification of private schools/institutions in Uganda

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

Maximum Processing Time: 6 weeks.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
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Instructions

• The licensing and registration of International Schools will follow the normal procedure of licensing and registration of primary and post primary schools/institutions.

Required Information

• Full name and address of applicant
• Particulars of the applicant
• Particulars of the school
• Capital costs
• Business information
• Particulars of staff composition

Need for the Document

• It is mandatory that the Government should be informed and requested to authorize any new establishment of an Education environment. This should be done in a prescribed format as specified by the Municipal/District Educational Department.

Information which might help

Enter other informations which might help.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

• External Link.

Others

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