Education stakeholders in Uganda’s Eastern Region have urged school proprietors and administrators to strengthen financial management, leadership systems and human capital to ensure their institutions remain sustainable beyond individual founders and head teachers.

The call was made during the Stanbic Business Forum held at Mount Elgon Hotel in Mbale on Tuesday under the theme, “The Extra Mile: Building Schools for a Sustainable Future.”

The forum brought together education stakeholders from the region to discuss the financial, operational and leadership challenges affecting schools and ways of building institutions capable of surviving changing economic and management conditions.

Sam Kuloba, a retired Commissioner for Secondary Schools in the Ministry of Education and Sports, said the true measure of a school’s success is its ability to continue performing and growing long after its founder or head teacher leaves office.

“Establishing a school requires major investment, but the continuing financial challenges begin after opening it,” Kuloba said.

He urged school proprietors to look beyond constructing classrooms and achieving academic results, saying sustainable institutions require strong systems for financial management, leadership and succession.

Kuloba called for realistic budgeting, proper accounting, transparent financial reporting and responsible expenditure, alongside efforts to diversify legitimate sources of income.

“Schools should also diversify legitimate income, develop three- to five-year strategic plans, and prioritise completing projects instead of starting many, while also exploring partnerships with financial institutions to ease their development plans,” he said.

He emphasised that sustainability should be deliberately planned before institutions encounter serious challenges.

“As we talk about a sustainable future, we must start today. We must build the schools we want tomorrow by putting the right systems in place today,” Kuloba said.

He also called for professional management, accountability, succession planning and teamwork, warning against building schools around the personalities or individual capabilities of their founders and head teachers.

Kuloba further encouraged school owners to invest in teachers, embrace appropriate technology, strengthen partnerships with government and the private sector, and develop infrastructure that responds to the changing needs of learners.

“Invest in the teacher. When you invest in the teacher, you improve learning outcomes. That is sustainability. You are building for the future, not just for today,” he said.

He added: “The real measure of leadership is not whether the institution depends on you. It is whether the institution can continue to perform, grow and deliver quality education even when you are no longer there.”

Tunde Thorpe, Executive Head of Business and Commercial Banking at Stanbic Bank Uganda, said schools are an important part of Uganda’s broader economic development because they help build the human capital required to drive growth.

“Over the years, we have helped individuals, schools, entrepreneurs and institutions move from ambition to action by financing growth, enabling payments, building capability and connecting businesses to opportunity. Over UGX 5 trillion of Stanbic money is invested in different sectors of the economy,” Thorpe said.

He said the bank’s impact should not only be measured through financial figures but also through the businesses, institutions and communities supported by its financing and services.

“Impact is not measured only by the size of a balance sheet. It is also seen in the school that expands responsibly, the teacher who is better supported, the young person who gains relevant skills, the woman who builds a sustainable enterprise, and the farmer who can produce, add value and reach a dependable market,” he said.

Thorpe said Uganda’s ambition to grow its economy from about US$50 billion to US$500 billion by 2040 would require significant investment in human capital.

“As Uganda aims to grow its economy from about US$50 billion to US$500 billion by 2040, driven by agro-industrialisation, tourism, mineral development, and science, technology and innovation, we need to know that human capital is not a footnote to the tenfold growth ambition; it is one of its foundations,” he said.

Hassan Nkuutu, Senior Education Inspector of Mbale, called for continued professional development, refresher courses and training for education inspectors to keep pace with changes in the sector.

“If the education system is changing, those responsible for monitoring it must also continuously develop their skills. We should also strengthen childhood education and foundational skills,” Nkuutu said.

Melissa Nyakwera, Stanbic Bank Uganda’s Head of Commercial Banking, said the bank is committed to supporting schools beyond traditional financing for classroom construction.

“Previously, there has been a challenge of managing finances by different school proprietors. However, as Stanbic, we are very deliberate in ensuring sustainable development of schools by going beyond classrooms,” Nyakwera said.

“Developing a school is about building more than classrooms. It is about building a sustainable future for generations to come. We are glad to be part of this journey to build the education system of the generations to come,” she added.

The forum highlighted the need for school proprietors to adopt long-term planning and professional management while leveraging partnerships and financial services to strengthen their institutions and improve the quality and sustainability of education.