The constitution of the Republic of Uganda under Article 30, recognizes education as a fundamental human right. Through its development framework guided by Vision 2040 and the National Development Plan IV, education is a fundamental pillar for socio-economic transformation. Despite progress made in improving access to quality education, 73% of the population aged 10 and above are illiterate, perpetuating cycles of poverty, gender-based violence, and low uptake of critical services like healthcare agriculture and infrastructure development.

To tackle these systemic issues, the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD), with technical and financial support from DVV International, designed the Integrated Community Learning for Wealth Creation (ICOLEW) programme. Piloted since 2016 in four districts (Namayingo, Iganga, Mpigi, and Nwoya), ICOLEW’s success in empowering communities led the MGLSD to incorporate it into the Public Investment Plan through the Support to ICOLEW (SUICOLEW) Project proposal. In 2024, this proposal received the green light from the Ministry of Finance, enabling the project to be scaled up and implemented nationwide.

The 5-year SUICOLEW Project anticipates a financial investment amounting to 85 Billion Uganda Shillings (approximately 22 million Euros) by the Government of Uganda from the financial year 2025/26 to 2029/30. The funds will be expended on the core components of the ICOLEW Programme which include the establishment of 228 Community Learning Centres (CLCs) for the promotion of adult literacy and numeracy skills acquisition, vocational and livelihood skills training, and capacity development. The intervention is expected to benefit over 60,000 Ugandans who missed out on formal education and are either semi or non-literate.

We cannot transition to a middle income economy without investing in human capital … It is not the fault of a citizen if they missed formal education. It is the obligation of the state to give them a second chance.

(Commissioner of Community Development and Literacy, Mr Everest Tumwesigye, December 2024)

Uganda’s commitment comes nearly 10 years after the Functional Adult Literacy (FAL) Programme was phased out from the Public Investment Programme signalling a shift toward integrated, community-driven solutions that respond effectively to the needs and aspirations of adult learners. As the new government development approach – the Parish Development Model (PDM) looks at the Parish as a unit for integrated service delivery, the ICOLEW Programme is well aligned to all 7 pillars of the PDM, especially number 5 which promotes community mobilization and mindset change, while indirectly contributing to all of the others.

With DVV International’s support to the MGLSD, 4 Regional Model CLCs have been established in each of the 4 major regions of the country. One is Madowa CLC in Namayingo District serving the Eastern part of the country; there is Pabali CLC in Nwoya District for Northern Uganda; Nabbaale CLC in Mityana District for Central Uganda and Nyakagyeme CLC in Rukungiri District for Western Uganda. These CLCs are being prepared to offer exemplary adult learning and education programmes and services and act as peer learning centres for other districts in their respective regions.

According to Mr. Everest Tumwesigye, the Commissioner of Community Development and Literacy, CLCs are where policy meets the people. He further emphasises that:

We’re not just building classrooms—we’re building pathways out of poverty.

Adult Education is a multi-disciplinary field of practice; it calls for the involvement of various stakeholders and the Ministry of Gender has already embarked on the process of mobilizing ALE stakeholders to support the implementation of the ICOLEW Programme and CLCs. He notes that the Ministry has received additional support through partnerships with DVV International (contributing up to 7.9 billion UGX since 2016) and a pending $1.5 million partnership with the Korean National Commission for UNESCO by 2030. Through this investment, Uganda is ensuring sustainability and innovation in adult education programmes.

Listen to the commissioner's sharing about the government support of the ICOLEW Programme here:

Our goal is clear … A Uganda where no one is denied opportunity because they lacked formal schooling. That is the future we’re building - one learner, one community at a time.