The Speaker of Uganda’s Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga is shocked that both the Ministry of Foreign and Ministry of Education have failed to ensure that Ugandans take up scholarships offered by Russian Province of Siberia and India yet many bright students fail to make it to Universities and others drop out due to limited funds.
An angry Kadaga during today’s plenary sitting directed officials from the ministries in question to explain why they have not taken up these opportunities.
The Speaker revealed that during her recent official trip to Siberia, she was informed that despite offering scholarships to Uganda, the country hasn’t been able to send students to utilize the scholarships.
“Of immediate concern is that, they have been giving scholarships to the people of Uganda through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and because they weren’t taken up, they brought them from 10 to 2 scholarships per year and they said if we don’t take up these two, they are going to give up on us,” Kadaga said.
She added: “There are so many young people in this country who need scholarships, and we were told that other than buying the ticket, everything else is free; accommodation, per diem and tuition. So we want answers from the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Education. We were also informed that India has been giving us scholarships and they aren’t taken up; I don’t know why. What is the composition of the Central Scholarship Board; is it there, does it work?”
