When most people hear SchoolPay, they think of a school fees payment platform. But its creators envisioned something larger, a wide-ranging value chain platform that serves every actor in education.
The goal is to create a single source of data that informs decision-making at the policy level and across all stages of the sector.
Against this backdrop, convening a conference under the theme “Building a Resilient Education Value Chain to Explore Financing Models for Sustainable Growth” was timely.
It addressed the stark reality that at the height of Covid-19, 1.6 billion children globally saw their education disrupted, with Sub-Saharan Africa carrying the heaviest burden.
Today, more than 263 million children remain out of school worldwide, 61 million of them in Africa, which has now overtaken South Asia in the number of out-of-school children.
An additional 354 million are in school but fail to acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills.
The learning crisis and financing gap
According to the World Bank’s State of Global Poverty (2022), the global learning poverty rate stood at 57% before Covid-19.
Since then, it has worsened, with about 70% of children in low- and middle-income countries completing primary school unable to read and understand a simple story.
Even though governments allocate 15–20% of their budgets to education, a financing gap persists. In Africa, limited fiscal space and low tax-to-GDP ratios mean spending commitments fall far short of actual needs.
The global market for education finance products is valued at $36.4 billion, of which Africa accounts for $5.4 billion, a figure projected to grow significantly in the next five years.
Recognising innovation in education
Chief guest Juliet Atuhairwe Muzoora, Commissioner of Government Secondary Education at the Ministry of Education and Sports, praised SchoolPay for simplifying operations.
“As an educationist, I recall when parents were apprehensive about such innovations. We had to engage them alongside SchoolPay to highlight the benefits,” she said.
Muzoora stressed that resilience is key because not everyone embraces innovation, sometimes due to ignorance, other times due to hidden interests.
Building resilience also requires bringing on board suppliers, regulators, and other stakeholders.
The struggles of school owners
Joseph Ndiho, Executive Director of Service Cops, observed that many school owners struggle to sustain their institutions, not from lack of business skills, but because of limited access to suitable investment vehicles.
“Beyond financials, our platform captures teacher attendance and classes taught, student performance, and financing gaps. It’s about equipping schools to manage their finances for sustainability,” he said.
Sustainability, he noted, means leveraging data and partnerships, not just traditional approaches.
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One such partnership is with Opportunity International, which shares a vision of strengthening education financing in Africa.
The organisation has benefitted 19 million children with more than $1 billion, mainly through affordable non-state and private schools.
“Our school improvement loans, averaging about $10,000, have enabled schools to build classrooms, improve WASH facilities, and hire qualified teachers,” said Tineyi Mawocha, Chief Programme Officer and African Regional Director at Opportunity International.
“One success story is Evans Senabulya of Ridgeway Group of Schools, who started with a school improvement loan.”
Building a resilient value chain requires mobilising blended finance, including tier 1 banks, commercial lenders, and philanthropic capital.
A standout success is the partnership between SchoolPay, Furaha, and Opportunity International, which enabled 25 million telecom wallets to integrate with Furaha.
This has allowed six million children to pay fees more easily, while 14,000 Ugandan schools are now on the platform.
Stakeholders were urged to invest in data and impact management to guide policy and outcomes, while pushing for reforms that recognise affordable non-state and private schools as strategic partners.
Strengthening accountability
Ms Muzoora highlighted accountability challenges faced by the ministry, which SchoolPay helps to address by pooling institutional collections into a single system, simplifying monitoring and strengthening financial control.
The app also manages student pocket money, long a concern for parents. She encouraged SchoolPay to add financial literacy features to help learners cultivate saving habits.
Mr Mawocha stressed that resilience must go beyond infrastructure to include adaptive systems, engaged communities, and empowered school leadership.
“Financial products must be paired with training for school leaders and teachers. Technology should complement—not replace—teachers, and must remain context-sensitive, equitable, and affordable,” he said.
Looking ahead
Stakeholders suggested that SchoolPay could also manage capitation grants from the education ministry, broadening its role in institutional income and expenditure management.
“We encourage you to tailor your innovation towards sustainable growth and the movement of Uganda. Institutions, regulators, government, and development partners must work together to build a resilient and inclusive education financing ecosystem,” said Ms. Muzoora.
The ministry pledged to continue working with innovators to enhance delivery through technology and digital infrastructure, strengthening the entire education value chain