ITHUBA is providing financial and other assistance to its bursary recipients
National Lottery operator ITUHBA has awarded 50 bursaries to students from around the country for the academic year of 2022. The bursary caters for students who want to get into marketing, information technology and financial accounting fields of study. To qualify for the ITHUBA bursary, applicants must obtain an average of at least 70% for each subject and maintain an academic average of 70% or more for the year.
At a motivational handover and academic award ceremony that took place recently, the ITHUBA executive team announced the top student achievers; the theme for the event was “Building your own Personal Brand”. Among the attendees were the bursary recipients and other stakeholders.
“Selecting suitable recipients from the many applicants we received was not an easy task — the students also underwent a vigorous assessment process in order to qualify for selection,” said ITHUBA CEO, Charmaine Mabuza.
“This year we are not only providing financial assistance, but we have also extended our support to cater for the students’ mental health through our partnership with ICAS, as well as providing them with mentorship and tutor support for the duration of their studies. Over and above that we have also provided them with learning materials such as laptops and data for internet services, for their courses and for group communication with their fellow students and their lecturers. Assistance is provided for funding their accommodation, and bursary recipients also receive a monthly stipend.
“Our programme is specifically designed to ensure that the recipients have the best possible chance to succeed as young professionals of the future,” said Mabuza.
Access to scholarships and other resources is a lifeline for poor students trying to fund their tertiary education. Recognising this need, the ITHUBA Bursary Programme was founded to assist young people from marginalised communities to further their studies at tertiary level.
This addresses the societal problem of gaining access to higher education after learners have completed matric. As things currently stand, South African youths find it difficult to afford university or college fees if they come from disadvantaged backgrounds. This issue resurfaces every year, around the time when tertiary institutions open for registration. It is also around this time when the government makes significant pronouncements regarding the education sector, through the annual budget address by the minister of finance.
The ITHUBA staff pride themselves in the proactive role that ITHUBA plays as a private entity in helping to resolve the issue of access to education for young South Africans.
According to Mabuza, the success of the programme is due to the unique approach taken. The programme is driven by the spirit of ubuntu, which is one of ITHUBA’s core values, and recipients are not required to refund the bursary money but are encouraged to pay it forward by helping other students in need or by finding ways to uplift their communities.
“Our programme targets young individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, who have demonstrated outstanding academics and wish to study further for a better career opportunity,” said Mabuza.
New recipients of the bursary in 2022 include some top academics. One student who received seven distinctions in matric will be studying accounting at the University of Pretoria this year, while another is set to do a mechanical and mechatronics BSc at the University of Cape Town after passing matric with five distinctions. A recipient who achieved six distinctions in matric has been accepted at North-West University for a computer engineering degree, and another will go to the University of the Witwatersrand to study computer science.
Welcoming the new recipients to the programme, bursary holder Murphy Phiri, a third-year BCom student at the University of Pretoria, said this is the beginning of a journey to making their dreams reality. “It is a starting point for a lifetime of learning. Thanks to my ITHUBA bursary there is no financial burden on my shoulders, making it easier for me to focus on my studies,” said Phiri.
According to Stian van Wyk, being awarded an ITHUBA bursary is life-changing: “I had applied to study at various universities and was accepted at most of them, but unfortunately, there was no money for me to study. Thanks to ITHUBA I am now studying towards my BCom degree. The nature of this scholarship means you have no financial worries, while being mentored and supported in a host of other ways.”
Cape Town marketing student Zaylynne Louw added that the ITHUBA Bursary programme offers each one of its recipients the opportunity of a better life and to break generational curses. “Thanks to this bursary I can create a better life for myself and my family; I am very grateful for this opportunity,” said Louw.
For Richard Martin, a bursary recipient studying towards a BCom degree at the University of Cape Town, ITHUBA not only provides the financial means to study but the power to change your life. “I know that every test I take, every assignment I complete, is taking me one step closer to realising my dream. I can take those tests and complete those assignments thanks to ITHUBA’s funding, support and care,” said Martin.
The ITHUBA Bursary Programme has been running for over two decades and has sponsored over 300 students in a range of professions since 1999. Previous recipients are now qualified as doctors, lawyers, chartered accountants and IT specialists.