The government will soon start a university loan scheme for poor but qualified students to access university education, Parliament heard on Tuesday.

The proposed scheme, according to State minister for Higher education, Prof. Gabriel Opio, is contained in the government white paper to be tabled before Cabinet in the next few months.

He said, "after getting jobs, they are expected to payback the loan. The proposal is in the new government white paper."

The white paper intends to "overhaul" the education system in the country including perk-up remuneration of the government university academic staff.

In the past few years, Makerere University academic staff under the umbrella association, Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA) have held on and off strikes, claiming they are poorly paid.

But Mr Opio said in the next financial year, the monthly salary of a professor will be increased to a higher figure from the current Shs3.2m.

"There has been progress in the remuneration of the university teaching staff and we plan to increase it in the next financial year," he said.

Kawempe South Member of Parliament Ssebuliba Mutumba told Parliament that Makerere students are threatening to strike because of high fees.

"I would like to appreciate the effort of the ministry but students are about to pour on the streets because of school fees," he said.

Chwa county MP Livingston Okello Okello proposed a free university education to all students from northern and eastern Uganda "because they are poor".

But Mr Opio said, "this can't be possible because you can't generally say all the students from these two regions are all poor. There are those who rich," he said.

Mr Okello also said the government should scrap government sponsorship at the university "because it's the rich who go to good schools and later excel to get government sponsorship."