Uganda Parliament Seeks More University Sponsorship for Rural Students

Under the existing arrangement, 3,000 sponsorships are awarded through the national merit system, while 1,000 places fall under affirmative action programmes.

Uganda's Parliament has passed a resolution urging the Government to review its undergraduate sponsorship programme and increase the number of university places allocated under the District Quota Scheme. Lawmakers said the current system no longer reflects the country's growing student population and leaves many capable learners from poor, disadvantaged and rural communities without access to higher education.

The motion was introduced by Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, Member of Parliament for Bardege-Layibi Division, who argued that government-funded university sponsorship has remained fixed at 4,000 places despite a sharp increase in the number of students qualifying for admission each year.

MPs seek fairer distribution of sponsorship opportunities

Under the existing arrangement, 3,000 sponsorships are awarded through the national merit system, while 1,000 places fall under affirmative action programmes. Of these, 896 are allocated to the District Quota Scheme, with the remainder reserved for the Sports Scheme and the Special Needs Scheme.

During debate, Members of Parliament amended the motion to explicitly include the Sports and Special Needs schemes. Legislators also called for stronger support for students with disabilities and those who attended public schools under the Universal Primary Education and Universal Secondary Education programmes.

Several MPs argued that students from rural schools often perform exceptionally well at university despite entering with lower examination scores. Others proposed reserving more district quota places for science courses to improve participation in technical and professional fields.

Government asked to report back within 60 days

Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa directed that the resolution be implemented in line with parliamentary rules, which require the responsible ministers to submit an action-taken report within 60 days. Mapenduzi said between 60,000 and 80,000 students qualify for admission to public universities each year, yet only a small fraction receive government sponsorship. He argued that increasing the District Quota allocation would help create fairer access to higher education and ensure that talented students from underserved communities have a better opportunity to pursue university studies.