Last week, the minister of state for Higher Education, Dr John Chrysostom Muyingo, unveiled the list of over 4,000 beneficiaries of the state-backed loan scheme for students joining selected universities and tertiary institutions.
As usual, there was the variously voiced concern about how too few students benefit from the scheme, compared to the demand out there. Naturally, the concerns were raised by those who failed to make the list, or those touched by the large list of applicants.
But Dr Muyingo did not make things easier for those who have to sift through the mountain of applications, by suggesting that a new category of applicants be considered in coming years – those applying for postgraduate courses. For starters, the scheme was started to support those seeking an undergraduate qualification such as a degree before diplomas were added to the mix.
Even before diploma applicants were added to the list, the Higher Education Students Financing Board (HESFB) was struggling to get loans for all those seeking financial support for their degrees. Indeed, HESFB executive director Michael Wanyama lamented the large number of ‘viable’ applicants left out, owing to the growing list of applicants.
Apart from the obvious reality that not everyone who needs help can be assisted, there is the concern that the scheme is at risk of losing focus by trying to embrace everyone who is needy. The HESFB ought to be clear on why it is in business, with a clear idea of who its beneficiaries are.
Beyond that, the minister is only trying to stretch an already frayed situation by adding a category that is not as needy as the initial beneficiaries.
While launching the HESFB, former Education minister Jessica Alupo hoped that it would get graduates out of begging and into employment.
To think that a jobless certificate holder seeking admittance to a diploma programme has to satisfy HESFB of his or her eligibility for a loan, in the same application process as a degree holder seeking a postgraduate qualification, is unfair to say the least.
The argument can be made that the postgraduate would be able to repay the loan sooner than the diploma holder. However, that is speculative at best.
The government should exclude postgraduates from the HESFB and create other opportunities for those seeking masters, PhDs and the like.
school@observer.ug
