Uganda has introduced a comprehensive set of Basic Requirements and Minimum Standards for International Schools (BRMS-IS), establishing a national framework for how international schools should be registered, managed and operated.

Issued by the Ministry of Education and Sports in May 2026, the standards set out requirements covering school governance, licensing, staffing, curriculum, teaching and learning, infrastructure, child protection, food safety, health, environmental management, parent engagement and boarding facilities.

The standards apply to all international schools in Uganda, from foundation stage through secondary level, including both day and boarding schools.

The Ministry says the standards are intended to provide a baseline for quality education and to guide the registration, licensing, operation and management of international schools.

For parents, the document also provides a useful checklist of what they can expect from schools offering international curricula.

International schools must meet Uganda's standards

The Ministry defines an international school as an educational institution delivering a curriculum recognised by international accrediting bodies or universities and designed to promote global understanding and facilitate international educational transitions.

Despite offering foreign or international curricula, such schools remain subject to Uganda's legal and regulatory requirements.

The Ministry states that international schools must meet the prescribed standards before they can be licensed, while schools already authorised to operate are expected to maintain compliance.

The framework is anchored in Uganda's Education Act of 2008 and is intended to ensure that international schools meet national requirements alongside relevant global best practices.

Licensing and curriculum approval are key requirements

Under the new standards, international schools are expected to be legally registered with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) and licensed by the Ministry of Education and Sports.

Schools must also obtain the necessary local and, where applicable, international education licences and accreditations.

The standards state that the curriculum offered by an international school shall be accredited by the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC).

Schools are expected to obtain a licence to operate as a school within one year of operation. They should also receive an examination centre number within three years of operation after fulfilling international curriculum requirements, or provide documentation showing that the process is underway.

This makes regulatory approval an important issue for parents considering an international school, particularly where a school advertises itself as offering a foreign curriculum.

International schools must have qualified leadership

The standards also set expectations for school governance and leadership.

An international school should have a School Management Committee or Board of Governors, with meetings held at least three times a year, or once every term. Schools are expected to maintain updated minutes showing decisions and resolutions.

The principal should have at least a Bachelor's degree in Education, or a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree together with a postgraduate certificate or diploma in education.

Schools are also expected to have a three-to-five-year strategic plan, an annual work plan and a calendar of activities communicated to teachers, students and parents.

A functional school website is also listed among the governance and communication requirements, with information such as the curriculum, activity calendar, fee schedule and the school's distinctive qualities.

New standards set expectations for teachers and staff

Teacher management is another major component of the framework.

International schools should provide employees with written contracts specifying issues including job descriptions, reporting lines, codes of conduct, attendance requirements, working hours, contract duration, compensation, supervision and dispute-resolution mechanisms.

Schools are also expected to conduct staff performance appraisals and maintain individual staff files containing documents such as curriculum vitae, recommendation letters and relevant professional information.

New employees should undergo a documented induction process.

The standards further state that an international school should have at least one teacher with international teaching experience. Expatriate staff should have Interpol clearance and comply with Uganda's immigration and labour laws.

Class sizes have been specified

One of the provisions likely to attract considerable attention from parents is the recommended teacher-learner ratio.

The BRMS-IS provides the following ratios: Early Years: 1 teacher to 15 learners, Primary: 1 teacher to 25 learners, Secondary: 1 teacher to 30 learners.

The Ministry says class sizes should be manageable enough to allow teachers to meet the needs of individual learners.

Schools are also expected to maintain daily student attendance records and have mechanisms for supporting and supervising teachers.

Child protection and school security are central to the standards

The framework places significant emphasis on learner safety and child protection.

International schools should have policies and procedures designed to protect students from harm, abuse and neglect.

All staff should undergo child protection training every year, with evidence of the training maintained by the school. Student protection policies should also be documented and shared with parents and staff.

Schools are expected to regulate entry and exit, maintain fencing and gates, establish procedures for admitting and releasing students and deploy security guards around the clock.

Emergency preparedness is also covered. Schools should have emergency communication and evacuation procedures, risk assessments and hazard-mitigation measures.

Students and staff should be introduced to fire and emergency drills at least once every term.

Schools must meet infrastructure and sanitation standards

The standards cover the physical environment in which students learn.

Classrooms should have adequate ventilation and natural lighting, sufficient space for movement and interaction, and appropriate furniture.

The recommended ratio is one student toilet for every 40 students in the general school facilities.

Student washrooms should be separated by sex and level, while staff and guest washrooms should be separate from those used by students. The facilities should be waterborne.

International schools should also provide libraries serving all age groups, with readers, textbooks and other learning materials.

Secondary schools are expected to have science laboratories equipped for practical science subjects, with appropriate arrangements for chemical storage.

International schools must provide appropriate learning resources

The standards go beyond buildings and classrooms.

Schools are expected to provide teachers with adequate tools and materials to deliver their curriculum and support students in obtaining relevant learning materials.

International schools should also have an ICT policy addressing risks associated with technology use and plagiarism.

Co-curricular activities should form part of the school programme and support students' social, emotional, physical and intellectual development.

Where a school has a swimming pool, additional safety requirements apply, including fencing, locked gates when the pool is not in use, lifesaving equipment, certified swimming instructors and risk assessments.

Food safety requirements extend to school kitchens and canteens

The new framework also establishes requirements for food supplied to learners.

Schools should have policies covering food provided to students, including balanced and healthy diets and food brought from external sources.

Cooks should undergo medical examinations every six months.

The standards also state that energy drinks should be prohibited in school canteens and that processed food and drinks supplied in schools should be certified by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS).

Food should be obtained from safe sources, protected from contamination and stored appropriately.

Schools should have designated food stores, maintain stock registers, use raised platforms or pallets and implement measures to control rodents and other pests.

Boarding schools face additional requirements

The standards establish a separate framework for schools with boarding sections.

Dormitories should provide separate accommodation for each sex and class level, while sleeping arrangements must be suitable for students. The document specifically states that triple bunk beds should not be used.

Boarding facilities should also provide suitable spaces for evening and night study, adequate accommodation, and separate bathrooms and toilets for each sex.

The standards provide a minimum ratio of one toilet and one bathroom for every 30 boarding students.

Boarding schools are also expected to provide laundry facilities and address sanitation, safety, nutrition, recreation, wellbeing and cultural sensitivity.

Environmental management is part of school quality

Environmental responsibility is also incorporated into the standards.

Schools are encouraged to implement waste-management practices based on approaches including recycling, reuse, reduction, refusal, repurposing and decomposition.

They should conduct climate-change and environmental-awareness campaigns, display conservation messages and undertake environmental conservation activities.

The standards also encourage energy conservation, including the use of energy-saving stoves, alternative cooking fuels and careful use of electricity.

Parents have a formal role

The BRMS-IS places parents and the wider community within the school's governance and communication framework.

Schools should have a parent and stakeholder engagement plan and establish a Parent-Teacher Association.

At least one parent representative should sit on the School Management Committee or Board of Governors.

Schools are also expected to establish a parent-school communication system and maintain open communication between staff, students, parents and the community.

What the new standards mean for parents

For parents, the BRMS-IS provides more than a regulatory framework. It offers a practical way of evaluating an international school.

Parents can ask whether a school is properly licensed, whether its curriculum has the required approval, what teacher-learner ratios it maintains, whether teachers are properly qualified and whether child-protection policies are in place.

They can also examine the school's facilities, emergency procedures, food arrangements, sanitation, communication systems and, where applicable, boarding facilities.

The standards are therefore likely to become an important reference point for families comparing international schools in Uganda.

A baseline rather than a ceiling

The Ministry emphasises that the BRMS-IS represents a baseline and encourages schools to go beyond the minimum requirements.

The broader objective is to create a more consistent framework for international education while ensuring that schools remain accountable for the safety, wellbeing and quality of education provided to learners.

With international schools continuing to serve families seeking globally recognised curricula in Uganda, the standards provide a national benchmark against which schools can assess their governance, teaching, facilities and learner-support systems.

The Basic Requirements and Minimum Standards for International Schools therefore mark an important reference point for anyone involved in Uganda's international education sector, from school owners and administrators to teachers, regulators and parents.

Source: Uganda Ministry of Education and Sports, Basic Requirements and Minimum Standards for International Schools (BRMS-IS), May 2026. Read the full Ministry of Education and Sports document