The ministry of Education and Sports through its Higher Education Student’s Financing Board has announced at least 625 successful learners to benefit from government sponsorship scheme in higher education for the financial year 2022/2023.
This loan scheme was introduced by government in 2014 to benefit needy students pursuing diploma and degree programmes in higher institutions of learning.
This year’s selected learners were announced by the Minister of State for Higher Education Dr. Chrystom Muyingo on Tuesday, December 6 in Kampala.
According to the minister, this year’s number of successful applicants brings to 13,405 the number of students who have benefitted since the scheme started. Muyingo noted, “There is a very high chance that many of these students would have missed out on higher education if it were not for this strategic government intervention.”
“I would therefore like us to applaud the NRM Government for continuing to innovate and introduce programs that uplift our people and position them to compete and succeed,” he added.
He pointed out that there is need for more funding to capitalise the Higher Education Students’ Financing Board while the demand for student loans has certainly surpassed the available resources, a sign that the lower education interventions are working tremendously well.
It’s upon this point that he called upon all the beneficiaries to make efforts and deposit their monthly instalments so that those coming after them can also receive similar support.
Although there was a delay in the release of the loan scheme list for this quarter as the ministry concluded the process of installing a new governance board, the minister applauded the secretariat for the great job done in extending, awareness about the students ‘ loan scheme and automating the processes for loan applications.
“This has facilitated country wide knowledge of the scheme and is encouraging the study of sciences in our secondary schools,” he said.
Relatedly, the incoming board chairman of the Higher Education Student’s Financing Board, Dr Charles Wana Etyem, thanked the minister of Education and Sports and First Lady Janet Museveni for entrusting him to chair a very sensitive and board under her ministry.
He also revealed that the number of universities benefiting from the scheme have also been increased from 22 to 23 universities across the country.
