Don’t let an abrupt end of scholarship be the end to your education

Makerere university graduates celebrate during their graduation ceremony. Sometimes students who are studying on scholarship may miss out on graduation if their offer comes to an abrupt end before they complete their studies. file photo

What you need to know:

Sometimes a scholarship ends before a student completes school. This causes enormous panic mainly as they figure out their next move. Sadly, some drop out but this does not have to be all the time. There are other options to explore such as exchanging your labour for tuition as George Katongole writes.

After eight years of changing lives of needy students through scholarships, BRAC Uganda announced recently that their MasterCard scholarships will end next year. The scholarships were providing financial, social, and academic support to the beneficiaries throughout their education.
Victoria Kisarale, the head teacher of Gayaza High School, who was present when the announcement was made, expressed worry saying she had seen students’ lives change and is worried about what will happen after 2020 when the scholarships wraps up.
“I propose that Brac teaches the alumni skills of saving and investment. If emphasised, these skills will help them avoid a rude awakening such as the one I got 25 years ago when I lost my husband,” she said.
“The programme is ending in 2020 and once the benefitting students complete Senior Six we shall support them to transition indirectly by giving them information on available government opportunities such as degrees, diplomas, vocational and any other scholarship opportunities available,” Grace Senoga, the BRAC Uganda spokesperson, said then.
Free things are like footprints in the sand. A whiff of wind or a splash of an approaching tide can wash it away in a blink of an eye. So are bursaries and scholarships.

After eight years of changing lives of needy students through scholarships, BRAC Uganda announced recently their MasterCard scholarships will end next year.
The scholarships were providing financial, social, and academic support to the beneficiaries throughout their education.
Victoria Kisarale, the head teacher of Gayaza High School, who was present when the announcement was made expressed worry saying she had seen students’ lives change and is worried about what will happen after 2020 when the scholarships wraps up.
“I propose that Brac teaches the alumni skills of saving and investment. If emphasised, these skills will help them to avoid a rude awakening such as the one I got 25 years ago when I lost my husband,” she said.
“The programme is ending in 2020 and once the benefitting students complete Senior Six we shall support them to transition indirectly by giving them information on available government opportunities such as degrees, diplomas, vocational and any other scholarship opportunities available,” Grace Senoga, the BRAC Uganda spokesperson, said then.
Free things are like footprints in the sand. A whiff of wind or a splash of the approaching tide can wash it away in a blink of an eye. So are bursaries and scholarships.

Common occurrence
For most parents and students, a free offer to education is sometimes the only difference between having an education or not. Yet, it is unguarded. A funder can change their plans unannounced leaving several beneficiaries stranded. Most people never have a Plan B.
In 2010, Amon Reeves Muzoora offered 1,468 bursaries to students from Entebbe municipality at Nkumba University. The now deceased former deputy town clerk who was planning to run for Entebbe municipality Member of Parliament seat at the time, offered to take care of tuition and functional fees.
For several months, the university became a beehive of activities. Expansion plans to accommodate such a big number of entrants were devised. Yet in under one academic year, everything vanished in thin air.
The university acting registrar then, Wilson Mande, announced the bad news that all beneficiaries of the scheme were not going to sit for exams. Muzoora, who had alleged State House was in charge, called for calm before Education ministry spokesperson Aggrey Kibenge announced the scheme had been a scam. Some of the students had diverted the tuition and it was a time of panic.

Some make it
Henry Musabe, who had applied for a Master’s in Business Administration was among the beneficiaries that were left with the stinging pain of the suddenly dried up well. “It became a desperate time for me. I had no immediate solution,” he recalls.
The faith he professed as able to move mountains before he was enrolled, was under test. “I felt hopeless. I started looking for a way out. All my time in school had been with the help of donors,” he said.
His mother had died while he was in Primary Three and he had spent his childhood with his grandmother and her mother’s heir. He was barely prepared for more eventualities.
He had acquired his first degree and was hoping to go further in his education. Luckily, his aunt came to his rescue and he was able to complete his MBA.
Yet Musabe was among the priviledged few. To many of his peers, it was a mirage. Isa Asiimwe, a businessman in Kampala, dropping out of his course was the only option. Asiimwe, the proprietor of Isabet Beach Soccer team, could not stress his almost depleted resources as he was dependent on the scheme to complete his studies.

Options for plan B
But the end of a scholarship should not mean a student’s education journey also ends. A few more options should be explored before one gives up. For instance most universities and schools offer some bursaries. Some offer tuition bursaries to underpriviledged students through exchanging their services for labour such as cleaning. Students can explore such options and proceed with their studies.
Other universities such as Ugandan Christian University, Mukono offer full bursaries to academically excellent students. These mostly last until the next term.
Some universities work with community-based organisations to keep selected students in school. “There are many opportunities schools are offering directly or through partners. Since people in Uganda are mostly on the receiving end, they go for any free offer, even the rich,” Justine Tushabe, an Entrepreneurship teacher at St Mary’s College Lugazi, said in a recent interview.
Tushabe mobilised her students five years ago to support a bursary scheme for underpriviledged pupils in two neighbouring primary schools.

Become exceptional
There are priviledged students that are pampered on the basis of talent; sports and music.
Many schools that are making it big in school competitions hugely rely on this incentive to attract students. Schools such as St Mary’s Kitende, Buddo SS, Jinja SS, Agape SS Busembatia and Kibuli SS, among others offer fees subsidies of up to 100 per cent while some even go an extra mile to offer pocket money and school requirements to their stars. Similarly private universities such as Kampala University, Nkumba, Ndejje, UCU, and Kampala International also support exceptionally talented students. Luyanzi College, now Zzana, Gombe SS offer music, athletics and netball bursaries, among others. “The major problem with sports bursaries is that most institutions normally treat the students as professionals giving them limited time for studies,” David Katende Ssemakula, the assistant general secretary of the National Council of Sports, noted.

Think business
But if all fails, thinking petty business can be an option. Mary Nuba, the She Cranes shooter, tried entrepreneurship while she pursued her Certificate in Business Administration at Nkumba University. “My classmates were my clients,” she said. “I would buy stuff girls love such as shoes, knickers, dresses while we travelled for national team engagements and I then sell them. This helped me troubleshoot some of the financial challenges including taking care of my child,” she said.
Daniel Ntwatwa, a computer expert in Kireka, established his Internet cafe while still pursuing a Diploma in Business Computing at Makerere University Business School in 2002. “I am surprised it still remains my biggest source of income yet it was a petty business I started to supplement me and ease pressure of fees on my parents,” he said.
But parents and students need to be vigilant in ascertaining the authenticity of the offers. Some are well thought out scams. Despite this, students should always be on the lookout for opportunities such as the government student loans, company scholarships, non-governmental sponsorships, banking institutions, among others. These are always publicly advertised.

Govt loans
Government has considerations students can take up. The most prominent is the Higher Education Student’s Financing Board (HESFB).
The scheme is open to students seeking to pursue higher education in an accredited institution of higher learning recognised by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) and also pursuing accredited programmes. Up to Shs4m is available for students covering tuition, research fees, while accommodation, meals and transport are shared by the students.

Financial bodies

• Centenary Bank offers low interest loans for the needy but Bright students.
• Bank of Africa’s school fees loan commonly known as SOMA, finances primary, high school and varsity for up to Shs5m.
• Finca has a flexible loan scheme that offers students primary, secondary and higher institutions scholarships with a collateral attached.
• Post Bank too offers a tailor-made loan to meet school fees and tuition as well as requirements like computers, laptops and study kits for professional courses.
• Bank of Baroda also offers up to Shs15m in student loan.
• There are other companies willing to help. The most notable ones are; Change A Life Uganda, Madhvani, His Hope, Uganda Children’s Project, United For Uganda, Soul Foundation, MasterCard Foundation and Care for Uganda, among others.