A globally recognised online school for ambitious Ugandan families in Kampala, Entebbe, Wakiso and beyond — Cambridge IGCSE, A-Level, IB Diploma and Pearson Edexcel taught live in East Africa Time, with full international university support. From from USD 400/month (≈ UGX 675,000).
Uganda has a small but expensive international school market. Premium Kampala schools — International School of Uganda (ISU), Kampala International School (KISU), Lincoln International School — charge UGX 50,000,000-85,000,000 per year for primary and even more at IBDP level. Mid-tier international schools (Acorns, British School of Kampala, Kabojja, Galaxy) sit at UGX 22,000,000-40,000,000. Add ISSA league fees, transport, uniforms and exam fees (UGX 4-12M per session) and a single child at a top Kampala school easily costs over UGX 100 million a year. At the same time, Uganda's regulatory framework for home and online education is in transition — the National Curriculum Development Centre is actively drafting a homeschool policy, and the Attorney General has clarified that pure homeschooling without local school registration is not yet provided for under existing law. Smartious is built for Kampala-resident families who want a Cambridge, A-Level or IB pathway with global university recognition, the academic depth of a real international school, and fees that come in at a meaningful fraction of the premium tier — typically used alongside enrolment at a local Ugandan school for regulatory clarity, or as the substantive academic programme for expat families.
All curricula are taught live by degree-qualified subject specialists, with full past paper access, mock exam programmes and university application support.
Uganda's regulatory framework for home and online education is currently in transition. The Education Act and 1995 Constitution recognise parental responsibility for their children's education (Articles 31(4) and 34(2)). In November 2024, however, the Attorney General clarified that homeschooling — defined as withdrawing children from formal school registration entirely — is not yet provided for under existing law. Meanwhile, the National Curriculum Development Centre has been actively conducting a baseline study (approximately 7,000 children currently homeschooled in Uganda) and is drafting a homeschool policy in collaboration with Home-Scholars Uganda Group (HUG). The Ministry of Education permanent secretary has acknowledged that homeschooling policy is in development. Practical implications for Smartious families: (1) Expat families resident in Uganda can use Smartious freely — international online education for expatriate children operates in a separate context from Ugandan citizen regulation. (2) Ugandan citizen families typically use Smartious as the substantive academic programme alongside enrolment at a local Ugandan or international school (which handles formal registration and UNEB or international exam pathway). (3) For pure homeschoolers without any local school registration, families should consult with the Home-Scholars Uganda Group and monitor the upcoming NCDC policy. We are honest about this complexity during admissions.
Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge A-Level and Pearson Edexcel examinations are sat at British Council Uganda exam centres in Kampala and at authorised international school centres. International School of Uganda (ISU) and British School of Kampala both host examination centres accepting private candidates. IB Diploma examinations are administered through authorised IB World Schools in Uganda. Smartious handles all examination registration, advises families on the most convenient centre, and runs comprehensive mock examination programmes before the May/June and October/November series. Cambridge and Edexcel exam fees are separate from Smartious tuition (typically UGX 4-12 million per session depending on subject combination).
The answer depends on your setup. (1) **Expat families resident in Uganda** can use Smartious freely as their primary academic programme — international online education for expatriate children operates separately from Ugandan citizen regulation. (2) **Ugandan citizen families** are typically advised to use Smartious as the substantive academic programme alongside enrolment at a local Ugandan or international school, which handles the formal registration and exam pathway. (3) **Pure homeschoolers** without any local school registration operate in a regulatory grey zone — the Attorney General clarified in November 2024 that pure homeschooling is not yet provided for under existing law, but the National Curriculum Development Centre is actively drafting a homeschool policy. We discuss the right setup for each family during admissions.
For Ugandan citizen families, this dual setup gives you the best of both worlds: the local school handles formal registration with the Ministry of Education and provides the UNEB or international exam pathway your child needs for legal compliance, while Smartious delivers the substantive Cambridge, A-Level or IB curriculum with live teaching, recordings, and global cohort connection. Many ambitious Kampala families do exactly this — their child attends a mid-tier Ugandan school (sometimes only for a few days a week or for specific subjects) and uses Smartious for the academic depth and international curriculum that the local school cannot provide at the same level.
At British Council Uganda exam centres in Kampala, and at authorised international school centres including International School of Uganda (ISU) and British School of Kampala which accept private candidates. Smartious handles all examination registration, advises families on the most convenient centre, and runs comprehensive mock examination programmes before each series. Cambridge and Edexcel exam fees are separate from Smartious tuition (typically UGX 4-12 million per session depending on subject combination — paid directly to the exam centre).
Top Kampala international schools — International School of Uganda (ISU), Kampala International School (KISU), Lincoln International School — charge UGX 50-85 million+ per year for primary and substantially more for IBDP. Mid-tier international schools (Acorns International, British School of Kampala, Kabojja, Galaxy, Heritage) sit at UGX 22-40 million. Smartious annual fees are from USD 4,800+ — approximately UGX 8-23 million — a meaningful fraction of even the budget tier of Kampala international schools, with the same Cambridge IGCSE, A-Level, IB Diploma or Pearson Edexcel exam boards.
Yes. Smartious runs live group classes across three time-zone bands — UK & Africa, Americas, and Asia-Pacific — with a stable small team of subject specialists in each band. Ugandan students join the UK & Africa band (Uganda is GMT+3, identical to East Africa Time and the Smartious home zone), with live sessions timetabled during the Ugandan school day. Every class is recorded for unlimited rewatch. Students in Kampala, Entebbe and Wakiso join the same live cohorts as classmates in Nairobi (just one hour by flight), Doha, Dubai, Lagos and London.
Yes. Makerere University, Kyambogo University, Uganda Christian University (UCU), Uganda Martyrs University, Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), International University of East Africa, and Kampala International University (KIU) all accept Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge A-Level, IB Diploma and Pearson Edexcel for direct admission. The Ugandan National Council for Higher Education recognises these international qualifications as equivalent to the local UACE certificate for university entry. We support both Ugandan university applications and international applications (UCAS for UK, Common App for USA).
Yes. Many ambitious Kampala families use Smartious as a complementary academic programme alongside their child's primary school. Common setups include: extension subjects their current school does not offer (specific A-Level subject combinations, IB Higher Level options), exam preparation tutoring, UCAS or Common App admissions support, and one-on-one tutoring for foundational subjects. Our one-on-one online tutoring at USD 8/hour (≈ UGX 30,000) is significantly less than typical Kampala home-tutor rates of UGX 50,000-150,000 per hour.
Yes. We accept enrolments year-round with no waitlist. Mid-term transfers from international schools elsewhere (Nairobi, Dubai, Lagos, London, etc.) are routine — students continue with the same Cambridge or IB curriculum and exam board without losing progress. Most students begin within one week of admissions assessment. For Ugandan citizen families, we recommend establishing your local school registration before or alongside Smartious enrolment.
Yes. Smartious students join live virtual classes daily with classmates across Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and beyond. Our Wednesday enrichment programme runs online clubs in coding, debate, Model UN, chess, journalism, AI and leadership. For Kampala families, we strongly encourage parallel participation in local sports clubs (rugby, swimming, athletics, football), cultural activities, and church/community groups — Smartious complements that rather than replacing it.
Yes. Whether you move within East Africa, to the Gulf, to the UK or anywhere else globally, the school does not change. Same teachers, same curriculum, same exam board, no enrolment break. For Ugandan families with regional business interests across East Africa (DR Congo, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, South Sudan) or with longer-term moves planned to the UAE, UK, Canada or US, curriculum portability is a real advantage. The school follows the family.
Smartious delivers the Cambridge International, IB and Pearson Edexcel curricula, which do not include Luganda, Runyankole, Luo or other Ugandan languages, or the Ugandan Social Studies (SST) syllabus. Cambridge International does offer Swahili as a Second Language for IGCSE. Families specifically wanting UNEB-track Local Language or SST coverage typically pair Smartious with a Ugandan school (which handles those subjects) — the dual setup we describe above. We are honest about this fit: our strength is international curriculum delivery, not the Ugandan national curriculum.
All Smartious teachers hold degrees in the subjects they teach. Our subject specialists include qualified secondary teachers in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English Language and Literature, History, Geography, Business Studies, Economics, Computer Science, French and Arabic. We screen every candidate through a written subject assessment, a teaching demonstration and a safeguarding check before any contact with students. Teachers in our UK & Africa time-zone band — which Ugandan students join — are based in the East Africa region with consistent scheduling. Our teachers do not hold Uganda National Teachers' Service Commission (NTSC) registration — that is a Ugandan public-school regulatory requirement that does not apply to internationally accredited online providers.
Uganda has a strong international school sector in Kampala, but capacity is limited and fees are climbing. Smartious is built for specific families whose academic ambitions sit outside what local options can deliver — not because Ugandan schools are inadequate, but because their structure does not fit every family.
Top international schools (ISU, KISU, Lincoln) charge UGX 50-85 million per year for primary. Mid-tier schools (Acorns, British School of Kampala, Kabojja, Galaxy) sit at UGX 22-40 million. Add registration, transport, uniforms, exam fees, ISSA leagues — a single child at a top Kampala school easily exceeds UGX 100 million annually. Smartious at UGX 8-23 million per year delivers the same Cambridge or IB exam boards at a meaningful fraction of the cost.
Kampala has just under 30 international schools serving a city of 1.6 million plus surrounding metro. Top-tier places at ISU, KISU and Lincoln are competitive — waitlists are common for popular year groups. Smartious admits students year-round with no waitlist, whether your child is just starting primary or transferring at A-Level.
For Ugandan families outside Kampala — in Jinja, Mbarara, Gulu, Mbale, Fort Portal, Kabale, Hoima — Cambridge International and IB schooling typically requires relocating to Kampala or going boarding (often to Kenyan, Tanzanian or Rwandan schools). Smartious brings the same international curriculum to anywhere in Uganda with stable internet.
Uganda's homeschool policy is in transition. The safest setup for Ugandan citizen families is dual enrolment: a local Ugandan school for formal registration, Smartious for the substantive Cambridge or IB academic programme. Many ambitious Kampala families already do this — they use a mid-tier local school for compliance while getting top-tier international academics from Smartious.
Many Ugandan families maintain ties across East Africa, the Gulf and the UK. A child enrolled at a Kampala school cannot easily continue with the same curriculum, teachers and classmates after a move to Dubai, Nairobi or London. Smartious follows the family across every move — same exam board, same teachers, no enrolment break.
For Ugandan families targeting UK Russell Group, US Ivy League, top African universities (Wits, UCT, UoN, UNILAG) or Australian/Canadian universities, Cambridge A-Level and IB Diploma open doors that the local UACE certificate does not open as cleanly. Cambridge is recognised in 160+ countries globally.
Uganda's homeschool policy is in transition. The National Curriculum Development Centre is actively drafting a homeschool framework, but pure homeschooling without local school registration is not yet provided for under existing law. Here are the two setups that work cleanly today:
We discuss the right setup for your specific family during admissions. For Ugandan citizen families considering pure homeschooling, we recommend connecting with the Home-Scholars Uganda Group (HUG) and monitoring the upcoming NCDC policy.
Every Wednesday afternoon, Smartious students join our online enrichment programme — coding, robotics, debate, Model UN, chess, journalism, AI and leadership. Students in Kampala and across Uganda connect with classmates in Nairobi, Lagos, Johannesburg, Dubai and London, building East African and global friendships alongside academic progress.
Explore Wednesday ActivitiesHow we compare to a typical premium or mid-tier Kampala international school. The cost difference is significant — but the deeper differences are in flexibility, mobility and the regulatory grey zone Smartious dual-setup helps families navigate.
Smartious qualifications open doors to the best universities in Uganda, across East Africa, and worldwide. Cambridge A-Level results are accepted as equivalent to UACE by the Ugandan National Council for Higher Education.
Smartious is priced in USD because we operate to international standards — our students sit the same Cambridge, Edexcel and IB exams as students in London and Dubai. The UGX equivalent is shown alongside at approximately 1 USD = UGX 3,750. We accept UGX payments via bank transfer at the prevailing exchange rate.
Termly billing saves 5%. Annual billing saves 12%. One-time registration fee USD 38 (≈ UGX 142,500) applies on enrolment. 10% sibling discount on every additional child. Cambridge and Pearson Edexcel examination fees are separate (typically UGX 4-12 million per session) and paid directly to the exam centre. UGX payments accepted via bank transfer at the prevailing exchange rate.
Speak with our admissions team. We'll guide you through the right curriculum, exam pathway and enrolment process for your family.