Envoy tasks UK scholarship alumni to transform Uganda

“But we absolutely want something in return. The deal is that you have to aim high. Now you are home – we expect you to think about the difference you are going to make, to your life and to others,” Ms Airey, who has worked on the African continent for two decades, said during a welcome reception at her residence last Thursday.

She added: “How are you going to shake the tree, get things to work better, build better networks, identify and drive through change? Twenty years of working on this continent have made me a firm believer in the incredible potential and the opportunities – because of young people exactly like you. Go and make that difference – fulfil the potential we know you have.”

Chevening Scholarships are the UK government’s global scholarship programme, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), partner organisations and universities, according to information on its website. 

The scholarships target brilliant individuals with demonstrable potential to become future leaders, decision-makers, and opinion formers tostudy one-year master’s degrees programmes at prestigious UK universities. 
High Commissioner Airey said the 24 Ugandans selected as Chevening scholars in 2021 were the largest single batch from the country since start of the programme in part due to sponsorship package by Prudential.

Awardees are picked through a year-long process administered exclusively by the British government through FCDO, the Chevening Secretariat in London and in-country British diplomatic representations.   

On the other hand, Commonwealth Scholarships are offered by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK, in a selection co-managed with government of recipients, and enable “talented and motivated individuals to gain knowledge and skills required for sustainable development”. 

“The scholarships aims at promoting equity and inclusion, reward merit, and deliver widespread access, especially to those from disadvantaged backgrounds,” according to information on its website. Unlike Chevening, Commonwealth offers scholarships for both Master’s degree programmes and doctoral studies.  

Education Ministry Permanent Secretary Ketty Lamaro in remarks read for her by Mr Muzamil Mukwatampola, the commissioner for admission, scholarships and students affairs at the ministry, appreciated the UK government support to Ugandans through the scholarships and highlighted their contributions to the country’s development. 

“The ministry [of Education] will continue to support and applaud such scholarship initiatives as we cannot do this alone and [we] welcome bigger numbers of scholars who can go and study in first class universities in the UK,” Mr Mukwatampola said, reading from a prepared text. 

In comments on the sidelines of the reception, High Commissioner Airey said Ugandans have a higher chance to get the scholarship if they put in stronger and high quality applications. 

Earlier in her speech, she said UK universities are the best globally for equipping leaders, with “one in every seven world leaders [having] been educated in the UK. And UK universities remain at the top of international rankings for a very special reason”.  

“We don’t just teach subjects or vocations to international standards,” she said, adding, “We teach students how to challenge, how to push boundaries, how to open theirs and others’ minds to new ideas, how to innovate and how to find who we are and what we need – in our core, as people.” 

In an era where information and knowledge are universally available, Ms Airey noted that it is the “power to comprehend, assess and analyse which makes the difference – the all-important critical thinking skills.”