10,000 students benefit from student's loan scheme

EDUCATION | STUDENTS LOAN SCHEME 

The number of students who have benefited from the Student's Loan Scheme has hit 10,000 in the last six years, and more set to be enrolled on the same programme in a month's time.

Reports from the Higher Education Students' Financing Board show that it has in the last six years, received 26,698 applicants for Loans to join higher education.

At least half of them have been offered Loans to join universities and tertiary institutions.

Majority of the students have been joining as Undergraduate students, making 8,616 (86%), of all the 10,041 students.

The rest of the offered loans, making a total of 1,434 (14%) students, have been admitted on diploma programmes in tertiary institutions.

More so, the report from the Higher Education Students' Financing Board shows that 71.7% of the loans have been going to males.

The state minister for higher education Dr. John Chrysostom Muyingo says, "This is because fewer girls are doing sciences, yet the scholarships mainly go to students doing science, technology and Mathematics related courses."

He says that Government is devising a mechanism of getting more girls to do sciences at a lower level of education.

"They need to be encouraged and supported, in all ways and as Government, we are committed to this cause," he explains.

Launched by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni 2014/2015 academic year; with 1,201 Beneficiaries, the numbers have steadily increased to 10,041 Beneficiaries in 2019 with the beneficiaries pursuing 130 degree programmes and 76 undergraduate diploma courses mainly in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programmes.

The Uganda Higher Education Students' Financing Board (HESFB) is a fund used to provide financing to Ugandan students who have qualified for higher education in recognized institutions of higher learning but are unable to support themselves financially.