What next for graduates after university scholarships?
Cohort Six scholars in a group photo after receiving their scholarships from MasterCard Foundation at Makerere University. PHOTOS | GODFREY LUGAAJU.
What you need to know:
- The process of transitioning from university into the workforce is more difficult for students from underprivileged backgrounds studying on scholarships. There is intense pressure to find stability as soon as possible since many of them do not have a favourable fallback position.
For some people, a free offer of education is sometimes the only difference between having an education and struggling with school fees or worse dropping out. Most institutions of learning offer bursaries to underprivileged but academically brilliant students.
These scholarships are also awarded to specially gifted learners such as those great at sports, music dance and drama, among others. While they attain the education, they usually struggle when the course ends and the reality of life after school kicks in.
“Most of the scholarships awarded to learners are limited to syllabus-based learning. They do not cater for the capacity building or skilling of the students yet the modes of learning have changed today,” Evelyn Namuli, a career guidance expert, says.
Skill the scholars
Namuli recommends broadening the scholarship to include equipping learners with other skills such as entrepreneurship that can help them after university.
“For example, scholarship students are pampered by institutions because they know they need them at their best to win those competitions. As soon as they are out of school, all these privileges disappear. I believe if they were equipped to manage their own talent well, they would not be looking for jobs after finishing school,” says Namuli.
Mr Rajiv Ruparelia from the Ruparelia Foundation hands over a scholarship to Sylvester Lulenzi from Jinja who was one of the beneficiaries of the scholarship scheme.
According to Dr Justine Namaalwa, the programmes coordinator at MasterCard Foundation, the MasterCard scholarship realised this need and made their scholarships comprehensive enough to give the scholars academic education as well as skills development.
Namaalwa says scholars are also given leadership training, mentorship and are connected to workplaces so that they have a wholesome experience.
“The MasterCard scholarship offers three options after the first degree. You can go on to attain formal advanced education, or opt for formal employment with the programme supporting you to write a CV, prepare you for the interviews and mentor you at work. The other is entrepreneurship. MasterCard has a window of a Seed Entrepreneurship Fund when you are still a scholar. So you can compete and get that fund and start off when you are still at the university,” she says.
