Bridging Gaps Foundation awards 20 UZ law and medicine scholarships

Bridging Gaps Foundation awards 20 UZ law and medicine scholarships

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Bridging Gaps Foundation has awarded fully-funded scholarships to 20 vulnerable but academically high-performing students from across Zimbabwe to study Law and Medicine at the University of Zimbabwe, in a programme it says is meant to widen access to higher education.

The beneficiaries were selected from the country’s 10 provinces, with the organisation saying it worked with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to identify learners facing difficult home circumstances while still achieving strong A-Level results.

Speaking through a representative, the foundation’s patron Dr Kudakwashe Tagwirei said the search focused on learners from “double orphans, child-headed households, and children living with elderly, infirm grandparents”.

“In partnership with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, we searched this country for the most vulnerable yet most academically gifted learners double orphans, child-headed households, and children living with elderly, infirm grandparents,” he said.

He said some of the selected students were supporting younger siblings while preparing for A-Levels, while others studied without electricity and with limited learning materials. “And despite all of that, they obtained fifteen points and above to study Law and Medicine at our national universities. We selected twenty,” he said.

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Some beneficiaries described the scholarships as life-changing during the handover ceremony. “I want to express my gratitude to the Bridging Gaps Foundation for affording me this life-changing opportunity to become someone in life,” one student said. Another said: “I promise to work extra hard because this opportunity comes once in a lifetime.”

Government officials welcomed the initiative, describing it as support for national efforts to strengthen access to education.

Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Torerayi Moyo said the programme had been enabled by policies that encourage partnerships. “Through policies that encourage active participation by local partners in national development, the President has demonstrated that nation building is a shared responsibility,” he said, adding that the programme reflected the philosophy of “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo”.

Director in the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Engineer Ganda, said the handover reflected a “Whole-of-Government Approach” and stressed that education requires collaboration across ministries and institutions.

Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Angeline Gata urged the beneficiaries to work hard and to support others in future. “When you become a doctor or a lawyer, remember the child behind you who is still waiting for a chance,” she said.

Government said it would continue working with development partners to expand access to quality education and strengthen support systems for learners from vulnerable backgrounds.

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