Over 800 secure bursaries for higher education access programme

What the report says

More than 800 students have received bursaries to join higher education under the Higher Education Access Programme (HEAP), an initiative run by the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Uganda Chapter with support from the Mastercard Foundation, The Observer reported. The programme is designed to help young people who face financial and other barriers to entering universities, colleges and technical institutions.

According to the report, 818 applicants were selected from 9,182 people who applied. The beneficiaries include young women and men from 65 districts, including Kasese, Wakiso, Rubirizi and Mbale. They were officially sent off last week during closing ceremonies for the year’s orientation programme, held at Uganda Petroleum Institute Kigumba, Uganda Technical College Lira and Mbale School of Hygiene before they reported to their institutions.

The selected students will enter higher education through two main routes: the Higher Education Access Certificate, a bridging programme for learners who do not qualify for direct university admission, and technical and vocational education and training institutions. FAWE Uganda’s executive director, Susan Opok Tumusiime, said the bridge programme lasts 34 weeks before students can progress into regular university study.

The development comes as Uganda continues to look for ways to widen participation in higher education, especially for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. In general, such access schemes are often used to reduce gaps in entry qualifications and improve transition from secondary school to post-secondary training.