Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
South African Press Association - July 20, 2005
Sulaiman Madada, a member of Parliament from Uganda's Kayunga district, said the scheme aimed to promote morality and that successful scholarship applicants would have to submit to a gynaecological exam to demonstrate their chastity.
"Our area has high incidences of early marriages and defilement," he said.
"I believe this bursary will make a difference. The criterion is that a student is virgin and from Kayunga district."
"This will promote morals, promote girls education and I have contacted some NGOs and well-wishers to join me in this," Madada said, adding that the scheme was for girls only and that high school boys need not apply.
Between eight and 15 girls from Kayunga district, which has a population of about 300 000, attend university each year, he said.
The idea to pay university fees for virgin girls -- which can run up to 900 000 Ugandan shillings ($515 dollars per one four-month semester -- is an offshoot of an earlier scheme Madada introduced in which he covers the costs of high school educations for bright but needy pupils of both sexes in his district.
That programme already costs him one million shillings ($570) from his legislative salary per year, he said.
Madada said the new offer would encourage responsible living and help in the fight against sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/Aids by offering a reward for girls to avoid risky behaviour.
"We shall tell our children about risks they face if involved in early and unprotected sex," he said.
Uganda has earned high praise worldwide for its anti-HIV/Aids programmes which have reduced infection rates to about seven percent from as high as 30% in the early 1990s.
Kayunga has one of the highest HIV/Aids infection rates in Uganda and more than 80% of families living in the district say they have lost at least one member to the disease.
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