At least 700 economically disadvantaged learners in Uganda have been awarded scholarships to pursue higher education and vocational training through a partnership between the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Africa and the MasterCard Foundation.
The initiative, under the Higher Education Access Program (HEAP), is part of an eight-year partnership launched in 2017 to support talented but underprivileged youth, with a focus on girls from rural and hard-to-reach districts.
Of the 700 learners, 500 got bursaries for the Higher Education Access Certificate (HEAC) program at partner universities while 200 got bursaries for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) focused on STEM-related courses at accredited institutions.
In Uganda alone, the program has received $27 million (Shs 95.3 billion) in funding to support 1,800 students, 80% girls and 20% boys enrolled in university degree programs and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.
“We are targeting youth who would have otherwise fallen through the cracks, those who completed secondary school but were unable to transition due to economic or academic barriers,” said Susan Opok Tumusiime, executive director of FAWE Uganda.
One of the key challenges faced during implementation, Tumusiime noted, was identifying girls who had taken science subjects in A-level from rural areas such as Napak, Kapelabyong, Buliisa, Kanungu, and Nwoya.
To bridge the academic gap and provide access, universities in Uganda introduced a Higher Education Access Certificate (HEAC) a one-year bridging program that allows students who didn’t meet direct university entry requirements to upgrade their academic standing.
The pilot phase of the HEAC began with 60 students at Busitema University and later expanded to 300 students in 2023.
Without NO to the tribalistic system Rwandese Museveni so cleaverly put in place & UNITY with just ONE National/Common Leader for Common Goal for a different tomorrow, things will only get worse for the young!
Soon 40 years but Ugandans haven’t understood it’s them, in UNITY, who will give chance for a Uganda that will belong to them & all they do is ensure the zone formed by their tribal lands belong to Rwandese Museveni & they, his slaves, WHY?