4000 Apply For Albertine Youth Bursary Scheme

A record 4000 youths have applied for the Albertine region sustainable Development project (ARSDP) Bursary scheme in Hoima district.

The bursary scheme was launched by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on November 15, 2018 at Hoima Boma grounds in Kahoora Division Hoima Municipality.        

The scheme is intended to give an opportunity to 600 youths from 13 districts to acquire knowledge and skills that will enable them compete favorably in the oil and Gas sector. 

Beneficiaries will be drawn from Hoima, Masindi, Buliisa, Kabarole, Kyenjojo and Kakumiro district. Other districts include Nebbi, Nwoya, Ntoroko, Masindi, Kiryandongo, Kibaale and Bunyangabu.

   
Speaking to Uganda Radio Network on Monday, Godfrey Sserwanja, the Hoima district Education officer says 4020 picked the forms, filled and returned them to the Hoima district.

He says the application forms have been picked by Ministry of Education officials and transferred to the Education Ministry for the selection exercise.                 

Sserwanja says the slots given to Hoima are not enough given the high number of youths who want to join the Bursary scheme.  

He wants government to increase on the number of slots so that more youths from the district can benefit from the Bursary scheme. 

President Museveni while Unveiling the scheme last year said that the government has embarked on projects that are aimed at skilling and equipping the youth with the necessary knowledge that is crucial in the Oil and Gas sector.

The training is expected to enhance the students' knowledge and skills in order to meet the demands of the Oil discovery as well as ensuring adherence to the highest standards of quality, health, safety and environment.  

In 2014, the government obtained a loan of 106.5 Billion Shillings from the World Bank, part of which will be used to fund the scholarship.

The courses will be taught at Uganda Technical College, Kichwamba and Uganda Petroleum Institute, Kigumba (UPIK).

The project is expected to support the learners from the region to undergo six months to one and half year skills training in the leading institutes of construction, agro-processing, tourism, Motor Vehicle mechanics, welding and metal fabrication, Plumbing and pipe fitting and nursing among others in the country.