University scholarships – Poverty criterion under review

Qualifying for a government-sponsored university scholarship in the past not only required a sound academic record, but proof of inadequate family funds. But all this could change if plans to change the Ubudehe system of socio-economic stratification go ahead.

In terms of the system, the government considers family assets as one criterion for students qualifying for higher education loans. Known as Ubudehe in the local language, the system has been a hindrance for some students who complete secondary education with top marks but whose families are either considered not poor enough in terms of the social stratification system or put into an incorrect category.

Ubudehe categorisation is based on assets such as a house, a plot of land, and monthly income, among others.

Ubudehe accounts for 20% of the required points needed for a student to be eligible for a scholarship. The other two criteria are attaining the required pass grade by the university and the subjects which a student is going to pursue at university, with each accounting for 40 points.

Students who fulfil the requirements are entitled to government scholarship loans, which they pay back once they graduate and start working.

Unfair exclusions

Recently, the government said it is considering removing Ubudehe as a criterion, arguing that it is unfair that some students miss opportunities for further study despite the fact they have good results.

For parents like Viviane Mukakalisa, a mother of six who lives in Kigali, this is good news. Mukakalisa owns a three-roomed house and sells vegetables to earn a living. Despite this, she has been placed in the third category which means some of her younger children are not allowed to benefit from the government scholarship.

“My two children benefited from the government scholarships before the government started considering family assets under Ubudehe categories,” she said. “However, since this started, I could not educate my two other children because I cannot afford fees.”

She said previously, excellent performance was the only criterion for one to benefit from the government scholarship.

“Removing Ubudehe categories as one of the criteria is a positive thing because it was a challenge for some families like mine because I cannot afford tuition. It is unfair to say that someone can afford RWF1.2million (US$1,350) just because they own a house,” she said.

The tuition fee for STEM programmes at the University of Rwanda is RWF1.5 million (US$1,680) per year and RWF600,000 (US$670) for non-STEM programmes.

“I hope many children including mine will have a chance to resume studies if the decision to remove Ubudehe is taken,” said Mukakalisa.

Jimmy Mugwaneza completed secondary school in 2014 with marks good enough for university but he was denied the chance to continue with studies because his family was also in the third category.

His mother is a farmer in the eastern province’s Rwamagana district.

“Basing scholarships on the Ubudehe categories is not ideal. I would be graduating if I had been given the chance to enrol at university; my mother has a mud house and is a farmer,” he said.

“But now that they are revising Ubudehe, I hope that it is still possible for me to re-apply and I am optimistic I will qualify this time,” he added.

Government review

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Local Government embarked on a review of Ubudehe categories and family assets as criteria to earn a scholarship.

According to Shyaka Anastase, the minister for local government, no students should miss the opportunity to go to university because the family belongs to a particular social-economic category.

“We want to review Ubudehe categories and our wish is that being in any category should not be one of the criteria to get a government scholarship; students should benefit from government scholarship only because they performed well,” he said.

The review of Ubudehe happens every three years to assess people who have graduated out of serious poverty, and to craft new ways of helping those still there.

For Leo Mugabe, the coordinator of Rwanda Education for All Coalition (REFAC) – a local NGO that fights for students’ rights – it is unjust if a student who performed well misses the opportunity to go to university just because of the category to which their parents belong.

“Any criteria that can prevent a student from going to university – other than performance – is unjust and discourages the culture of competence,” he told University World News.

It is not fair that a person who is in the third category because they have jobs or own a house, say a teacher, misses an opportunity to educate their children because it is assumed their families can afford to pay for them,” he said, noting that it would also undermine the future of the country.

“We hope that the government will remove the criterion of assets for earning a scholarship; the only criterion should be competence, nothing else,” he said.

In the academic year 2017-18, 4,963 students received government scholarships to study at the University of Rwanda, according to the 2018 figures from the university.

The review of Ubudehe is expected to end in July and if revised, students who enrol for university in the September intake will be among the first to be offered scholarships without consideration of the Ubudehe categories.