The Muljibhai Madhvani Foundation will this year, contribute Shs450m towards its University scholarship programme for the academic year 2008/2009.

“This academic year we are going to spend a record Shs450m to needy and bright students who lack financial backing in the fields of science, law and technology,” said Sam Rutega, the chairman board of trustees of the foundation at Sheraton Kampala Hotel yesterday.

The Madhvani foundation is a charitable trust that was started in 1962 to honour the vision of the late Muljibhai Prabhudas Madhvani, one of the first industrialists in Uganda.

In 2003 the Board set up the education trust and this year’s figure represents the largest single annual donation by a private sector company towards education. The initial fund started with an annual grant of Shs350m.

He explained, “The key of the objective of the programme is to promote scientific and technical education for the socio-economic betterment of Ugandans.”

On why the foundation had zeroed in on subjects like Agriculture, Economics, Food Science, Engineering, Information Technology, Law, Nursing, Architecture and Medicine, Mr Rutega said that this was done deliberately because of the need to fill the human resource gap in those areas in Uganda.

He further clarified that the undergraduate scholarships will be limited to tuition and all prospective candidates will have to apply after their first year of study at the university.

According to the foundation, 75 per cent of the Scholarships will be earmarked for Undergraduate courses and the other quarter for Postgraduates. On the selection criteria, he said, “the selection is based on academic performance of the applicant, financial status of guardians (if any), gender and regional balancing.”

Hon. Gabriel Opio, the minister of state for education and sports (Higher) who also doubles as director of the board said Madhvani Foundation’s programme was a classic example of the government-private partnership.

“Government has for long had a problem of sponsoring university students so Madhvani’s programme is one way how more students are going to be sponsored,” Hon. Opio said.

He added that the scholarships were addressing affirmative action, which government is agitating for as seen in its university quota system policy.

Commenting on the performance of students who were due to graduate in 2008, S.K Iyengar, the company secretary, said that over 95 per cent of the students who had received support had successfully completed their studies and were now in position to find gainful employment and make a positive contribution to Uganda’s development.

Mr Iyengar further said some of the beneficiaries are already working in some of the Madhvani Group companies and that the foundation is planning to create an alumni databank that will see all former beneficiaries upload their curriculum vitas for possible recruitment.

So far 448 students have benefited and the total amount donated has reached shs1.4b. Deadline is May 31.