Twenty-nine students who received bursaries from GrandWest’s CSI Bursary Fund to pursue tertiary studies in maths, science, and technology have successfully graduated. They are among some 1 323 young Western Cape students who have been assisted by the GrandWest CSI Bursary Fund since 2007, with as many as 260 students receiving funding from the first year until they graduate.
GrandWest CSI has contributed over R18-million towards the tertiary education of financially needy students to date. The latest graduates were honoured at a special awards breakfast function at the Market Hall, GrandWest, on 10 June 2017.
“Our bursary programme is focused on developing qualified skills in maths, science, and technology as there is an ever-growing shortage of young South Africans pursuing tertiary qualifications in these fields. Without the necessary base of skills in these areas, the country’s growth and development cannot be adequately supported.
“GrandWest considers education important for addressing poverty and unemployment in our community because when people are empowered with skills, they are able to find jobs which enable them to support their families and contribute to the economy.
“We are immensely proud of our recent graduates and wish them heartfelt congratulations. They have worked very hard to achieve their results,” says Heidi Edson, the Group Socio-Economic Development Manager at GrandWest.
The GrandWest CSI Bursary Fund has a strict recruitment procedure to ensure that beneficiaries meet the criteria of the fund which is to support students wishing to further their studies in the fields of maths, science, and technology.
To be eligible for funding, a student must be registered as a full-time student in a public higher education institution in the Western Cape. Furthermore, the student must be studying towards a degree or diploma in the maths, science or technology fields. More importantly, a student should be financially needy. The bursary includes registration, tuition fees, and textbooks.
To pay it forward, the students are encouraged to contribute 40 hours of their time to community projects.
Header image caption: Back row: Dr. Hassen Adams (Chairman of Grand Parade Investments), Melvyn Naidoo (General Manager of Grand West Casino). Front Row: Prof. Linda De Vries, Senobia Tiemie, Owen Paulse, Albert Fritz (MEC for Social Development in the W.Cape) and Yonela Nguneni.
