The Funza Lushaka Bursary is a South African government initiative targeted at addressing the shortage of skilled teachers inside the country.
It provides monetary aid to qualified students who wish to pursue a teaching qualification in places which are vital to the schooling sector.
The Funza Lushaka bursary is created to promote educating as being a profession by funding students to study for any Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree or a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). The bursary covers fields with a selected scarcity of teachers, including:
- 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**: Should 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 must have an admission point rating (APS) that qualifies them for admission right into a teaching qualification.
- Returning students ought to clearly show satisfactory educational overall performance.
4. **Field of Study**: Need to plan to educate within a priority subject area as determined with the Department of Basic Education.
5. **Commitment to Teaching**: Applicants should reveal a motivation to click here teaching and an idea of its relevance in society.
6. **Age**: Applicants really should not be older than 30 years once they apply.
*** Application Procedure To the Funza Lushaka Bursary:
1. ** On line Application**:
- Applications are submitted on the web throughout the Formal Funza Lushaka bursary program (to the Department of Basic Education's focused Web page for Funza Lushaka).
- The application window normally opens towards the top with the academic yr and closes early the next year (usually November to January).
2. **Documentation**:
- Certified copies of ID, academic results, and evidence of university registration are required.
3. **Selection Process**:
- Preference is given to applicants from rural or disadvantaged backgrounds.
- The applying goes through a range system according to the need for teachers in certain subjects and places.
***What Does The Bursary Include?:
The bursary covers the subsequent expenses:
- Tuition charges
- Accommodation and meals
- Guides and more info learning components
- A little 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 to meet the academic and other requirements. Recipients need to reapply every year, and the renewal is subject to satisfactory academic performance.