Equitable access, Retention and Successful Completion of Undergraduate Students in Higher Education in Uganda: The Uganda Students’ Higher Education Financing Policy Perspective

Abstract

Given the extensive social and private benefits that result from higher education (HE), access, inclusion, and completion are essential for achieving social justice, and ensuring the realisation of the full potential of those who wish to acquire HE. Yet still, many students or indeed their families, especially in low-income countries like Uganda, find it extremely difficult to access HE, whilst many of the students who join higher education institutions (HEIs) fail to complete their study programmes due to failure to meet the costs involved. On top of the various affirmative action measures aimed at increasing equitable access to HE, the Government of Uganda in 2012 introduced a financing scheme for HE that is, the Uganda Students’ Higher Education Financing Policy (USHEFP) that culminated into the Students’ Loan Scheme (SLS) with the primary aim of increasing equitable access to HE by providing loans to the qualified students who would otherwise not afford the cost of HE. The purpose of this study therefore, is to explore how the USHEFP is facilitating access, retention, and successful completion of students (policy beneficiaries) in HE. Using snow-balling and purposive sampling, the results from one-on-one interviews with participants revealed that the Higher Education Students Financing Board (HESFB) provides loans only for the academic component (Tuition and Functional fees) of the students, leaving out the welfare component (feeding, accommodation, scholastic materials) as well as internship and research. Without downplaying the importance of this financing policy in facilitating access to HE, nevertheless, the study revealed that the policy does not have an explicit effort to ensure that those who access the loans, complete their studies. Thus, since its inception with the first cohort of beneficiaries in 2014, the scheme has awarded loans to about 11,187 students out of whom 776 students have dropped out, translating into 6.94% of the students’ loan scheme dropouts due to inability to meet the cost of their welfare while at campus