Highlights of Teso Education Fund Second Anniversary Celebration
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The 2nd anniversary celebration of TEF took place on Saturday 27th August 2022. The celebration included an online seminar and a fundraising dinner.
THE ONLINE SEMINAR
Dr Patrick Igulot – Executive Director
Dr Igulot outlined the purpose of TEF as being improving the wellbeing of the disadvantaged.
He presented the strategies of TEF and the criteria for selecting beneficiary students.
He reported that TEF is providing full sponsorship to 24 students to study vocational courses in Uganda.
He presented the demand for scholarships including a backlog of 83 students in the TEF database in need of sponsorship.
He reported that the TEF was spending over £10,000 or 50 million Uganda shs annually on tuition fees alone.
He appealed for £12,000 or 60 million to sponsor another 25 students in 2023.
Professor Venansious Baryamureeba – Keynote Speaker 1
Professor Baryamureeba talked about:
The need to improve the quality of education in Uganda.
The need to ensure equitable access to education in Uganda.
The need for regional balance in education.
The need to improve education across the levels from national, sub national, and local levels.
The constraints to access to education including financial constraints.
Specifically, about Teso, he talked about:
The need to have centres of excellence in education in Teso.
The need for affirmative action in education for Teso. He said that Teso needs quarters at Soroti University.
The need for education advocacy and lobbying for more opportunities for Teso.
The need to lobby for political representation i.e., appointment to governments positions such boards in public agencies because these often come with advantages to the region.
The need for the key leaders from Teso to lobby for the region from government.
Prof Baryamureeba praised TEF for the great work it is doing to support students who cannot afford education.
The need to strengthen Teso Education Fund by increasing the bursaries available.
Professor Baryamureeba empathised the need to mobilise all well-wishers of Teso around the world to support the Fund.
He promised to continue working with TEF to improve education in Teso and in the whole of Uganda.
He promised several 1-year full scholarships to students from Teso to study BSc in Computer Science and BSc in Accounting at Uganda Technology and Management University.
Professor Chris Imafidon – Keynote Speaker 2
Professor Imafidon applauded Teso Education Fund for its initiative for humanity.
He underscored the importance of education in social transformation.
He talked about the global job opportunities available in computing and IT.
He talked about how technology has demystified distance and location.
Professor Imafidon talked about the need to prepare young people in Africa to work remotely for businesses around the world.
He applauded the initiative by UTAMU to integrate education and work in the education of young people in Uganda.
He promised to mentor young people from Uganda in the use of technology.
He pledged to work with TEF to continue developing the next generation of Africans.
Dr Larry Jones-Esan – Moderator
Applauded Teso Education Fund for a wonderful initiative focused on education and other development initiatives.
Dr Larry offered 4 1-year online study scholarships at the London Academy Business School in the UK.
He promised to work with TEF to achieve its purpose.
THE FUNDRAISING DINNER
Children learning Ateso language and culture were awarded certificates.
About £4,000 was raised or about 18 million Uganda shillings.
From these anniversary events, TEF is going into its 3rd year stronger and confident of achieving its vision of a world in which all young people are well educated, skilled, and empowered to live their lives to their full potential.