University scholarships worth about Shs 500 million are now on offer by Madhvani Foundation. Announced by the Scholarship Committee Chairman, Henry Kyemba at Kampala Serena Hotel on May 4, the closing date for applications is May 31.

Madhvani Foundation Alumni Association boss Mr Roland Odinga tries to help needy students achieve their education dreams. P

Lack of finance is the leading cause of drop outs from institutions of higher learning. Every year, hundreds of students fall out due to failure to raise tuition fees, which has prompted government to embark on an education finance scheme to assuage the problem.

The Madhvani Foundation has awarded 175 students scholarships totaling sh516m for the academic year 2009/10. The awards were made after highly competitive personal interviews of candidates conducted at Makerere University, recently.

The Madhvani Foundation has awarded 175 students with scholarships in the fields of Business Administration, Information Technology, Agriculture, Engineering, Land Surveying and Law, among others.

The Madhvani foundation scholarship scheme has birthed 650 students since it’s initiation in 2003. The programme supports the bright but less privileged students from across the country, to achieve university education in various disciplines. Out of 650 supported students, 540 have since graduated in Agriculture, Business Administration, Law, Hotel management, Actuarial Science, Human medicine among others.

The Madhvani Foundation and Kampala International University deserve credit for taking the lead in initiating mass local university scholarships. The two institutions, and more recently, East African Breweries Limited, have, for a couple of years now, given billions of shillings to enable students from poor socio-economic backgrounds access university education. While other universities and perhaps organisations also have some form of scholarships schemes, the three institutions above stand out because their scholarships are offered in the most transparent manner.

In the midst of tuition increments from universities in the country, there is a glimmer of hope for students in the Madhvani Foundation. Since 2003, the Foundation has been sponsoring students pursuing science-based courses. The year 2009/2010 will be no different as Henry Kyemba, chairman of the Scholarship Committee, announced on Wednesday, May 6, at Sheraton Kampala Hotel.

The Madhvani family has donated sh500m to needy Ugandan students joining institution of higher learning in the 2009 academic year.