Members of Parliament have called for a probe into the issuance of government scholarships to Ugandan students to study abroad.
The calls come amidst reports that some of the Ugandan students are stranded in Egypt and Cuba.
MPs Hussein Kyanjo, Latif Ssebaggala, Omolo Peter have accused government and the ministry of education of impartiality in distributing the scholarships for various courses, many of them in Europe.
They also noted that some of the students especially on government scholarship in Cuba had been abandoned by Uganda government with many barely surviving on one dollar a day allowance provided by the government of Cuba.
Minister of state for primary Education, Kamanda Bataringaya denied reports that students had been abandoned saying the ministry releases top up allowances to the students on a quarterly basis.
He told Parliament that these students are paid US$100 per month wired through the ministry of finance.
Minister Bataringaya also told Parliament that several government Institutions and embassies have been reported to screen and award scholarships to various countries every year.
The Leader of the Opposition. Nandala Mafabi said the distribution of scholarships was unfair, citing regional imbalance.
He threatened to table before Parliament the list of students that had been granted scholarships, but none is granted to those from the disadvantaged regions of the country.
Several legislators have urged the education ministry to consider reviewing courses for which scholarships are awarded to limit them to those that answer the needs of the Uganda community.
MP Lanyero Sarah Ochieng cautioned government to urgently review the education system to enhance equal access to quality education by all across the country.
She said many of the students from outlying districts fail to beat the competition for scholarship because of poor grades in mathematics, science and English language.
The Speaker directed the committee on Social Services to present a comprehensive report to Parliament on the government scholarship scheme.