Government awards 2,000 nursing scholarships to senior four leavers
EDUCATION | HEALTH |
The Government has awarded 2,205 scholarships to Senior Four leavers to study nursing, midwifery and other health-related courses in all its institutions across the country.
Another 707 privately financed students have been admitted to the same institutions.
The scholarships, the first of their kind in Uganda, have been given to students who want to pursue certificates in nursing, midwifery, comprehensive nursing, and psychiatric nursing.
Other programmes include environmental health science, environmental health assistant's course and medical laboratory technology. These are two-and-half year certificate courses.
On November 6 last year, a circular notice signed by the education ministry's permanent secretary, Alex Kakooza, called students for interviews.
The interviews later took place on November 23 to 27 at Mulago Paramedical School, Lira School of Comprehensive Nursing and Midwifery, Kabale School of Comprehensive Nursing and Midwifery, Arua School of Comprehensive Nursing and Midwifery, Hoima School of Nursing and Midwifery and Ntungamo Institute of Health Sciences.
Other interviews were conducted concurrently at Fort Portal School of Clinical Officers, Jinja School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mbale School of Clinical Officers/ College of Health Sciences, Kaabong School of Nursing and Midwifery and Moroto district offices.
Dr Safi na Musene, the commissioner for business, technical, vocation education, and training (BTVET), yesterday told New Vision that the admitted students will undertake carious courses namely:
Comprehensive nursing
Midwifery got 534
Medical lab technology
Environmental science.
Psychiatric nursing
Promoting sciences
The state minister for higher education, Dr John Chrysostom Muyingo, says the move to increase the scholarships at the certificate level is meant to support the Government's plan of promoting science education.
"We are also aware, as seen in many studies, that the cost of higher education is high for so many parents or students. The Government felt there was need to support thousands of students who may not continue to A'level, by helping them access studies in courses or programmes which are critical for our country's development and wellbeing," he added.
"We have also increased students loans for those doing diploma and degree programmes. We will start supporting students on master's degrees and continuing students in the near future," Muyingo said.
The minister's concerns regarding the high cost of education is also captured in a study by New Vision dubbed ‘The Voters Manifesto.' The voters say the cost of education is high in Uganda, and ranked it as one of their greatest concerns. There is also need for more nurses, midwives and laboratory technicians.
Muyingo said investing in more nurses, nurse education and training, regulation, enhanced working conditions and developing practice in Uganda will be vital in strengthening their ability to contribute to the provision of better healthcare.
Data from the health ministry shows 70,167 nurses and midwives registered with the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council, with a nurse/patient ratio of 1:11,000 against the recommended 1:1,000 ratio.
Minimum qualifications
Kakooza explained that the competition was stiff, since there was a high turn-up of students who wanted to join the certificate scholarship programme.
The minimum requirement for the courses is five passes in biology, chemistry, physics, English Language and mathematics at O'level, apart from medical laboratory.
"These passes should have been obtained in one sitting," Kakooza adds.