Government urged to give scholarships

EDUCATION

Government has been urged to consider offering scholarships and student study loans to university students who are in private institutions in the country.

This call was sounded by vice-chancellor clerk international university Rose Clerk Nanyonga during their grand breaking ceremony of building a new campus graced by Zac Niringiye the university's Chancellor.

She says tuition in most private universities is always high especially science courses yet the health sector is crucial. "If government helped science students it would address the shortage of health workers", Nanyonga said.

Ms. Nanyonga added that government should also provide an enabling environment for students who have graduated to do their job well.

Recently the Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, criticized government planning for failing to align with the critical needs of the country.

The Speaker made the remarks in relation to the education sector, which, according to her, is paramount in creating human resource capacity of Ugandans.

"I am frustrated that we are not aligning our planning to the needs of our country, so when I get an opportunity to talk about education, I say a few things that might improve our human resource capacity, properly tailored to the needs of this country," she said.

Kadaga was speaking at the rebranding and launch of Clarke University from International Health Services University (IHSU).

While expressing her disappointment in Uganda's inability to efficiently manage ICT, she recognised Dr. Ian Clarke and Ms Rose Nanyonga, the faces behind the Clarke University, for their efforts in advancing technical knowledge and skills to the youth.

"I want to thank Dr. Clarke and his team for their love for education in Uganda, she said urging Ugandans to learn and embrace their own country, saying opportunities are many, but only need the skills to acquire the jobs.

Meanwhile, Dr. Clarke said the university is set apart from the rest because it highlights the much-needed values and integrity in the teachings in the education sector, which later reflects on the workforce.

"Ugandans are very entrepreneurial but they are ill-equipped and they often lack the values and role models that will sustain them in business," he said.

He also said the students would be directly engaged with employers' right from the start of their education to equip them with the practical skills needed in the workforce.