Gauteng government sets aside R560 million for 4,000 matric bursaries to township learners
No NSFAS funding, no problem! The Gauteng Provincial Government has announced it has set aside a whopping R560 million annually to invest in funding bursaries for over 4,000 deserving matric top achievers from townships and no-fee paying schools.
This was announced on Sunday at Vodaworld in Midrand, where Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Education MEC Matome Chiloane awarded some of the Gauteng City Region Academy (GCRA) bursaries to beneficiaries.
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) will still be expected to fund thousands more who will not be covered by the GCRA.
Some of the beneficiaries were from disadvantaged communities, including townships, hostels and informal settlements.
The GCRA bursary is billed as one of the most comprehensive bursary schemes across the country, supporting students in various fields of studies, from aviation to medicine and IT.
The bursary covers tuition, books, accommodation, transport allowance, a once-off laptop allowance, and a living allowance. It also covers undergraduate studies, as well as postgraduate studies.
Chiloane applauded Gauteng learners and teachers for their efforts in ensuring the province returned a commendable 85% matric pass rate, telling them there was an improved 7% performance in Mathematics compared to the class of 2022.
During his address, Lesufi told learners, parents and teachers, that Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu and Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande could keep their respective social grants and National Student Financial Aid Schemes, because the GCRA bursary had it covered for 4,000 young people.
“We appreciate your NSFAS, but these ones are so special they deserve a special bursary. Dear parents, as soon as you leave this door, I am taking over and I am distributing R560 million to them,” said Lesufi.
“So students, you are no longer learners, you are now students. I am giving to you an unmatched bursary that doesn't have any limits. If you want to study a course that costs R300,000, we will pay R300,000,” he said.
“The reasons are simple, we want you to do your best, we care about you and you are highly talented.”
CHALLENGE
Lesufi has challenged the bursary beneficiaries to ensure that his dream of high speed rail between Gauteng and Limpopo must be realised, saying awarding the bursaries was part of nurturing and supporting talent in the Gauteng province.
“We need someone to build that train, we need someone to design that train and layout the railway line. We need someone to drive that train. We need those skills to be funded. You are the generation that must build that train,” he said.
“Through the GCRA Bursary Scheme, we are investing in the development of skills of the future. We are arming our youth with the skills which will ensure our country is competitive and contribute to the economic development of Gauteng,” Lesufi said.
“We have challenges in society that only these learners can fix for us. This will be the generation that provides new ideas, local products and solutions for our province.”
Meanwhile, Matome has urged parents to be active and involved in the lives of their children.
“There are two questions that you must always ask.How was school? Do you have homework?
“I wish parents can get actively involved in the lives of their kids so that when a child is experiencing challenges at school, they will speak, if they are experiencing bullying, they will speak, if they are experiencing challenges of homework, they will speak,” he said.
He also applauded teachers and said they were the foundation of a strong education system.
“These results are there because of the quality of teachers we have. Our challenge is that we tend to lose quality teachers in our public service system, I met one of our former principals who left for Curro and I asked him why. He said they made me an offer I couldn't refuse,” said Chiloane.
“That is a challenge for us that we really need to look into, to say how do we support our teachers.”
Lesufi last week called for teachers at public schools to be paid tax-free salaries as a means for the public service to retain talented teachers who were often poached by wealthier private schools.
“We are extremely proud of the Class of 2023, who performed exceptionally well in various subjects under extreme circumstances. This performance is also a testament to the dedication and hard work of our educators, as well as the critical upbringing role played by parents,” Chiloane said.
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