Mega Fm & Agency
Parliament has called for a review of Uganda’s Government Undergraduate Sponsorship Programme.
Members of Parliament are arguing that the current system no longer reflects the country’s population growth, rising university enrolment and persistent inequalities between urban and rural schools.
In a resolution passed on Tuesday, legislators urged the government to increase the number of university places allocated under the District Quota Scheme, saying it is one of the few mechanisms available to help academically qualified students from disadvantaged communities’ access higher education.
The motion, moved by Bardege-Layibi Division MP Martin Ojara Mapenduzi and adopted during a sitting chaired by Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa.
The legislators recommended that the Ministry of Education and Sports review the sponsorship programme beginning in the 2026/2027 financial year and report back to Parliament.
The motions followed concerns on whether the government sponsorship programme has kept pace with the country’s changing demographics.
Mapenduzi noted that the government has maintained 4,000 undergraduate sponsorships annually since 2004, despite Uganda’s population growing from about 27 million to more than 50 million over the same period.
Government currently allocates the sponsorships under four categories: 3,000 places through the National Merit Scheme, 896 through the District Quota Scheme, 40 under the Sports Scheme and 64 for students with special needs.