Bursaries and Scholarships Available Now

For some pupils who are in high school, it is difficult to think of attending a university when finances get in the way. With the rising costs of tertiary education every year, many are forced to abandon their hopes of wearing their first-ever graduation gowns and receiving their degrees in front of their parents and lecturers.

But you shouldn’t let your financial status bring you down, especially if you are someone who has been excelling in school. The looks at various scholarships and bursaries available to you and how you can pursue your studies.

As a part of its Black Economic Empowerment initiative, Old Mutual and NedNamibia are offering bursaries to those who would like to study at any tertiary institution in the SADC region.

Worth N$35 000 in Namibia and N$40 000 abroad, this bursary (for both undergraduate and postgraduate studies) is offered to those who are members of trade unions and their dependents.

The requirements are simple. You have to be a member of one of the participating trade unions or a solely financially-dependent child of a member of the participating trade union and under the age of 25. That means you have to have a job and one of your parents, grandparents or one of your blood relatives should be a member of the trade unions mentioned below.

Remember, if you are under 25 years old, you are also applicable for the bursary.

The trade unions include: the Mine Workers Union of Namibia (MUN), Metal and Allied Namibian Workers Union (MANWU), Teachers Union of Namibia (TUN), Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union (NAFAU), Public Service Union of Namibia (PSUN), Namibia Transport and Allied Workers Union (NATAU), Namibia National Teachers Union (NANTU), Namibia Public Workers Union (NAPWU) and the Namibia Financial Institutions Union (NAFINU).

“Our country has a shortage of certain skills within the financial industries and others,” Revonia Kahivere from Old Mutual said. “We want to provide opportunities because we need doctors, lawyers and even people in the technology industry. We want to assist with their financial problems and help them study.”

The bursary includes: registration, tuition and exam fees payable directly to the Higher Education Institution, prescribed books and approved study material. Along with this, you would also get full boarding and lodging fees payable directly to the higher education institution for full-time students, and where applicable, travel and living allowance payable to the student.

Successful applicants will be responsible for the payment of all other fees, costs or expenses associated with their studies. According to Old Mutual, The Trust reserves the right to adjust or withdraw any bursary amount that may be awarded in terms of the application, should the applicant be a beneficiary of other financial assistance (eg bursaries, grants, loans, awards, etc).

The good news is that you do not have to pay back the bursary at all, however to be applicable as well, you have to look at the following courses only: science and mathematic disciplines, engineering and architecture, medicine, banking and finance, accounting, actuarial studies, information and communication technology and other fields of studies that are regarded as scarce will be considered eg Maritime Law and Environmental Science.

Get your application form at Old Mutual or online. The deadline for the application forms is 30 September.

Interested in eye health? Candidates from countries such as Namibia, Lesotho, Mauritius, Malawi, Nigeria and Zambia among others are applicable for this scholarship for a Masters in Public Health or Community Eye Health at the University of Cape Town.

The point of this scholarship is to ‘support the training of eye health professionals with strong public health skills, the Consortium offers scholarships for candidates from low- and middle-income African Commonwealth countries who have been accepted to study for a Masters Public Health, Community Eye Health at the University of Cape Town, South Africa’. The Masters Public Health, Community Eye Health wants to provide students with practical skills to develop and manage eye care programmes in order to assist in eye care needs all over Africa.

Inform the university of your interest in applying for a scholarship by using the registration of interest form which is available online. Apply for a place on the course at the University of Cape Town. Once you have received an offer from the university, they will contact you about your application for the scholarship. Scholarships will cover course fees, travel costs and accommodation costs. The closing date for international applicants is 31 July.

• Always keep a lookout for bursaries or scholarships in newspapers as well as online.

• Don’t leave your application for the last minute, either.

• Be prepared, have your documents certified as early as possible and ask your family members for assistance if you are not sure how to go about writing a motivational letter, if one is required.

• “For undergraduate studies, you have to complete Grade 12 and apply for next year while postgraduate applicants have to have a degree,” Revonia says. She encourages pupils to keep studying and with the final term approaching, it’s time to work harder than ever.

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