Teso Education Fund (TEF), an international organisation in the UK and Uganda Technology and Management University (UTAMU), a leading private university in Uganda have partnered to improve education in Teso sub region in Uganda.
Under this partnership TEF and UTAMU will provide 150 undergraduate bachelor’s degree scholarships to 150 students over 5 years. 50 scholarships will be offered in 2023, 50 in 2024, and 50 in 2025.
Dr Patrick Igulot
According to the Executive Director of TEF, Dr Patrick Igulot, the following strategic courses will be eligible for these scholarships.
He added that this is a new and unique partnership which is designed to improve education in Teso sub region and indeed in Uganda. He said that this partnership is unique because TEF, UTAMU and the student and his/her family will share the cost of educating a student.
Dr Igulot revealed that these scholarships will cost TEF and UTAMU over 600 million shs or about £150,000 over 5 years.
Prof V. Baryamureeba
During the signing of the memorandum of understanding, the UTAMU Chairman Board of Directors, Professor Venansius Baryamureeba welcomed the partnership and said it was in line with the mandate of UTAMU which was established to provide education that leads to sustainable socio-economic development of Uganda.
He added that the courses chosen for this partnership were carefully selected because the demand for these skills is very high locally in Uganda and abroad. He said the programmes are designed so that the students are be able to work while studying.
Prof. Baryamureeba, a former vice chancellor of Makerere University said UTAMU was training graduates who can compete favourably for jobs globally.
Professor Eddy Kurobuza Tukamushaba, the Vice Chancellor of UTAMU, said the University was happy to partner with TEF to advance education in Teso sub region. He said this initiative will benefit not just Teso but Uganda as a whole.
Prof K. Tukamushaba
Prof Tukamushaba added that partnership with various stakeholders is one of the strategies of the University aimed at enabling access to higher education that has been a preserve of the few leaving the majority out.
He said the sponsored students will receive quality education from UTAMU’s experienced academics and new facilities from its new campus located in Kungu, Nansana Municipality, Wakiso district. He said these programmes will put the TEF students ahead in the labour market in Uganda and overseas.
Mr Leonard Opolot Oguli, the Chairman of Board of Trustees, TEF said this partnership was a major milestone in the growth of this 2-year-old organisation. He said that this arrangement demonstrates that TEF has positioned itself as a key player in education in Uganda. He called on communities in Teso region to take advantage of these scholarships.
Mr Leonard Opolot
TEF is an international charity organisation which is registered in the United Kingdom as charity No 1196225 and in Uganda as a national NGO No 5565. TEF was established in August 2020 and registered in October 2021 to advance formal education, vocational training, and to address the determinants of education such as poverty.
In pursuit of its vision, TEF has so far provided full sponsorship to 24 students over 2 years to study various courses within Uganda. The current scholars of TEF are studying science-based professional certificate and diploma courses mainly health, agriculture, and engineering. Go here to see TEF scholars and watch their testimonies and those of their parents and guardians.
TEF is conscious of inequality in access to education and aims to ensure equity in its scholarships. To date, TEF has been able to sponsor a student from every district in the Teso sub region. In terms of gender parity, 45% of these beneficiaries are female and 55% are male.
UTAMU is a private university that was established in March 2013 in accordance with the laws of Uganda. It was established to provide higher education leading to certificates, diplomas, and degrees through a variety of ways that includes face-to-face learning, distance learning, and virtual learning.
The scholarships for courses starting in May 2023 will be open Monday 21 November 2022 and close Friday 6 January 2023. To apply, go here.
To download the call for applications, go to this link Call for Applications for TEF Partnership Scholarships Final 21 11 2022
To contact TEF, email the Executive Director at [email protected] or telephone us on +4420 4529 2693.
Management of TEF
21 November 2022
