This paper assesses the effectiveness and progressivity of Uganda’s Universal Primary
Education program since it was first introduced in 1997, by examining factors driving
primary school attendance, grade delay and drop out trends for children between the
ages of 6 and 12 over the past two decades. Our findings reveal that primary school
attendance has been progressive over time and, in recent years, pro-poor, in the sense
that the poorest people have been its major beneficiaries. However, both demand and
supply-side factors affecting the provision and use of primary education still stand in the
way of achieving optimal and equitable participation from UPE. Our analysis also
suggests that policies targeting the poor as well as the poorer parts of the country could
yield considerable additional benefits, in terms of greater progressiveness and propoorness
of the UPE policy.