The Funza Lushaka Bursary is a South African govt initiative targeted at addressing the shortage of qualified teachers within the country.
It provides economic aid to suitable students who need to go after a teaching qualification in places which can be significant for that education sector.
The Funza Lushaka bursary is intended to promote educating for a career by funding college students to study for any Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree or a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). The bursary covers fields with a particular scarcity of teachers, like:
- Mathematics
- Physical Science
- Technology
- Languages (especially African languages)
- Early Childhood Development
- Foundation Phase Teaching
*** Who Qualifies For The Bursary?
To be eligible for the Funza Lushaka bursary, applicants must meet the following criteria:
1. **Citizenship**: Needs to be a South African citizen with a valid ID.
2. **Study Requirements**: Must plan to enroll or currently be enrolled in a full-time teaching qualification (BEd or PGCE) in a acknowledged South African university.
3. **Educational Performance**:
- First-time university entrants need to have an admission point score (APS) that qualifies them for admission into a teaching qualification.
- Returning students must demonstrate satisfactory academic overall performance.
4. **Field of Study**: Should plan to educate within a precedence subject area as discovered through the Department of Basic Education.
5. **Commitment to Educating**: Applicants have to reveal a motivation to educating and an understanding of its relevance in society.
6. **Age**: Applicants really should not be older than 30 years when they apply.
*** Application Process To the Funza Lushaka Bursary:
1. ** On line Application**:
- Applications are submitted on-line with the official Funza Lushaka bursary program (to the Department of Basic Education's focused Internet site for Funza Lushaka).
- The applying window commonly opens towards the top of your academic calendar year and closes early the subsequent calendar year (ordinarily November to January).
2. **Documentation**:
- Certified copies of ID, educational results, and evidence of university registration are demanded.
3. **Selection Process**:
- Preference is given to applicants from rural or disadvantaged backgrounds.
- The applying goes through a variety procedure depending on the need for teachers in certain subjects and locations.
***What Does The Bursary Include?:
The bursary covers the following expenses:
- Tuition fees
- Accommodation and foods
- Publications and studying resources
- A small stipend for other living expenditures
***Conditions for Working Back the Bursary:
Upon graduation, bursary recipients are required to:
1. **Teach in a Public School**: Recipients must work as teachers in a public school for the same number of years that they received the bursary. This is known as the "work-back" period.
2. **Service Placement**: The Department of Basic Education will place recipients in schools where their skills are needed, often in rural or underserved areas.
3. **Failure to Fulfill the Obligation**: If the recipient fails to meet the work-back obligation (e.g., not teaching after graduation or leaving before completing the required service), they will be required to repay the bursary amount in full, with interest.
***Renewal of the Bursary:
The bursary is renewable annually, provided the student continues click here to meet the academic and other requirements. Recipients need to reapply every year, and the renewal is subject to satisfactory academic performance.