Since the 19th century, Christian religious education as it is known today has been part of the Ugandan panorama. It began in Uganda with the arrival of the Anglican and Catholic missionaries in 1877 and 1879 respectively. The missionaries emphasized that education should be regulated by the church. Reading Centers, which eventually were transformed into formal schools, were established in every place where a mission station was opened. The expansion of mission schools in Uganda was quite dramatic, and both Church Missionary Society (CMS) and Roman Catholic missionaries were at the center stage of this development. Although the missionaries were against the establishment of a Christian state in Uganda, they wanted Uganda to be a Christian nation.