The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has expressed concern about the failure by the government to heed to parliament’s appeal for more funds for the student loan scheme.
Since 2014, the government has been allocating 5 billion shillings for loans to support students who qualify for science courses but lack funds to join institutions of higher learning.
However, the number of applicants for the loans has been increasing with each passing year even when there is no improvement in the resource allocation. In July last year, parliament learnt that the Higher Education Students Financing Board had received applications from 7,000 students and that only 1,500 students had benefited.
Kadaga says that Parliament made a request of an extra Shillings 5 billion for student loans but it was rejected by the government.
She asked the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) to apply pressure on the government such that the request is implemented.
The Speaker was on Monday speaking after receiving an assessment report from the EOC on the compliance of ministerial policy statements with gender and equity requirements for financial year 2020/2021. The report was presented by Sylvia Ntambi, the Commission Chairperson.
Kadaga’s remarks followed a statement by Ntambi who noted that her Commission was to strictly monitor the students’ loans scheme exercise for the academic year 2020/2021 to ensure that the right students get the loans.
According to Ntambi, the Commission established that last financial year, students from Eastern Uganda and especially people with disabilities did not benefit from the scheme. She says that the commission will this time keep a keen eye to establish which students benefit from the loans and where they come from.
Ntambi also noted that the Ministry of Finance has already invited the Commission members to be part of the revision of the budget saying that they are going to be strict on the issues of gender and equity so that the vulnerable are not left behind.
Kadaga cautioned the Equal Opportunities Commission against wasting resources on equity training for the wrong personnel who are sent from Ministries, Departments and Agencies. She notes such behaviour must be discouraged and the wrong personnel must be barred from attending the training.
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Yeah you are very right.let the government increase on the funds that they incur on the loans especially those loans that concerns with accademic.And when they are giving out those loans,let them try to balance the gender, tribe and region.
This time around let the government consider each and every sub-region in Uganda and also let it try to increase on the funds such that each and everybody benefits from the system.I personally am also yearning to adjust on my papers but my problem is money.and yet last year I applied for a government loan scheme but when the list ,I discovered that my name was not considered .Whiy indicates that the funds were not addequate.so let the government try to adjust on the funds.