KAMPALA – Seventeen Ugandan students have been selected to pursue their higher education in Europe under the Erasmus + scholarship program, funded by the European Union. The students were flagged off by State Minister for Higher Education John Chrysostom Muyingo and EU Head of Delegation in Uganda Jaden Sadek at a ceremony held at the EU Ambassador’s Residence in Kololo, Kampala.
Minister Muyingo urged the students to be ambassadors for Uganda while studying in Europe and to return home after completing their studies to share their knowledge and skills. “A lot of potential has been identified in you, but after getting this opportunity, remember to be Uganda’s ambassadors. Carry our flag very high. When you finish your studies, please remember to come back; remember where you came from. It is fine to get a greener pasture, but it is also cheating for you to have your capacity built and you don’t bring it back to share with your friends back home,” he said.
The minister also hailed the EU for supporting Uganda’s development agenda, particularly in education. “I wish to express our sincere appreciation and gratitude to the European Union for its unwavering support to Uganda in many fields, particularly education. This support has helped in human capital development in Uganda, and we are really grateful,” he said. “These scholarships are a blessing to Uganda because they provide the young graduates with an opportunity to gain international education experience, which gives them an advantage in the competitive job market,” he added.
Ambassador Sadek reiterated the EU’s commitment to supporting Uganda’s human resource development and fighting unemployment. “This year, we have 17 Ugandan students who have a chance to extend their studies in Europe, with 11 receiving direct scholarships from the EU,” he said. “In addition to Erasmus, and as part of the global gateway Africa-Europe Investment package; and youth mobility for Africa global gateway flagship, the EU wants to support African integration, providing learning opportunities within Africa to leverage investment in knowledge and innovation,” he added.
Ambassador Sadek also highlighted the EU’s various initiatives in Uganda, including a new program worth Euros 112 million aimed at promoting education for adolescent girls in 200 schools. “We are supporting several education skills development in Uganda, and recently launched a new Euros 112 million program geared at promoting education for adolescent girls in 200 schools in Uganda,” he said. “The EU’s launch of a youth sounding board in Uganda last year is part of our mission to foster a stronger dialogue between youth from across the country and the EU,” he added.
The students will pursue graduate studies in various universities across Europe, including Austria, Greece, Belgium, Czechia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Sweden. They were selected from various fields, including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), social sciences, and humanities.
