By David Muwonge

The Inter-Schools Coding Competition (ISCC) stands as Uganda's largest and most impactful National Advanced Technology Initiative for secondary school students. Launched to provide young Ugandans with early exposure to advanced technological skills, the ISCC aligns closely with the nation's digital transformation agenda, inspiring a new generation of innovators and problem solvers.

On Tuesday, April 21st, 2026, the journey took another significant step forward. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of ICT & National Guidance, Dr. Aminah Zawedde, and Mr. Alan Kasujja, Executive Director of the Uganda Media Centre, met with the ISCC team at the National Innovation Hub in Nakawa. This meeting marked a key milestone, reaffirming the government of Uganda’s commitment to empowering Uganda’s youth through digital skills.

The ISCC bridges the gap between formal classroom ICT education and real-world digital skills by using a structured, Competition-Based Learning approach. This hands-on model ensures that students are not only learning theory but also applying their knowledge to practical challenges.

So far, ISCC and its partners have trained over 4,000 students from 120 schools across Uganda in Python programming, a foundational skill for careers in data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and web development. These numbers reflect the growing excitement and ambition among Uganda’s youth.

Building on this, the ISCC leadership aims to reach 500 secondary schools this year, significantly expanding the program’s impact and bringing advanced technological skills to even more students across the country.

Isaac Prince Sekatawa of ISCC shared, “Last year, we were able to reach 4,000 students. This year, we are reaching 500,000 students across the country.” This ambitious target stresses the initiative's scale and vision.

At the same event, Dr. Zawedde stated that digital transformation begins with equipping young people with skills in coding, analysis, and problem-solving, noting that these competencies are now as essential as learning English and Mathematics. She stressed that infrastructure, tools, and online services are key to national progress, adding that data protection and cybersecurity are necessary to ensure digital solutions have a real impact.

The Permanent Secretary noted that digital skilling goes beyond rhetoric, describing it as a key driver of innovation, entrepreneurship, and meaningful opportunities for Uganda’s youth.

Alan Kasujja noted that, “so we as the Media Centre are excited to support anything that has an impact on communities. Anything that seeks to show young people where the opportunities are. We are going to support those groups.”

He added, “That's why we are associating ourselves with a competition that showcases coding skills from across the country. We are giving them visibility.”

Mr. Alan Kasujja said that the Uganda Media Centre aims to offer strategic support to anyone seeking assistance, ensuring individuals receive the visibility their projects require. He explained that the Centre will guide people to ensure their projects receive the attention they seek.

Kasujja noted that the secondary schools project is reaching people in villages and remote schools across Uganda. He emphasized that some of the best-performing schools are in very remote areas, such as Kigezi, and expressed confidence in the initiative, emphasizing its widespread and positive impact throughout the country.

Last year’s competition, held at the Kololo Ceremonial Grounds on December 12th, 2025, marked the program’s successful launch. Standard High School Zzana emerged as the champions, setting the stage for an even more exciting edition this year.

“So, we are excited that this year we are happening again. It's happening again, and we look forward to seeing the permanent secretary as our chief guest at the Kololo Independence Grounds,” Prince Sekatawa remarked.

In her concluding remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Aminah Zawedde, emphasized that building a generation of coders requires more than training, stressing the importance of creating pathways to jobs, competitions, and tangible rewards for young people.

Testimony

Daniel Mich Ogwal, a former Pine International School student, recounted his encounter with the Inter Schools Coding Competition, a unique and exciting opportunity he had only ever seen online. Forming a team with his peers, Daniel experienced the intensity of competition-based learning, regularly checking the leaderboard and finding his biggest rivals were teams from the Kigezi region. Despite these challenges, his team advanced through both regional and national rounds, ultimately securing third place at the grand event in Kololo.

He observed that the ISCC inspired participants to pursue innovative technological projects, such as digital election and sign-in systems, even among teams that did not win. Daniel shared the story of his friend Joshua, who, though not a winner, was motivated to start building a Ugandan version of Amazon. For Daniel and many others, the competition was truly life-changing, instilling new confidence and ambition.