Pretoria, 27 May 2021 – Now more than ever, South African youth need a hand-up, and SANRAL’s bursary and scholarship programme is doing just that, with applications opening to learners across the country, on 1 June.
“While we remain committed to developing a pipeline of Civil Engineering professionals in support of SANRAL’s mandate of building and maintaining South Africa’s national road network, we are cognisant of the fact that a multi-faceted state-owned entity requires a strong and robust corporate structure to give effect to its mandate.
“Financial support through bursary allocations for disciplines such as Public Relations, Auditing, Supply Chain Management, Law, Human Resources and Finance, which collectively support the corporate structure, will give effect to that mandate. Our financial support has to look beyond the traditional scope of engineering and support improved balance,” said Heidi Harper, SANRAL General Manager: Skills Development.
As South Africa makes progress in getting its citizens vaccinated against the Coronavirus, we continue to feel the economic impact of this virus on lives and livelihoods. With thousands of parents and guardians having lost partial or even total income, the lack of money should not stand in the way of children being educated.
SANRAL’s scholarship programme was historically developed to give financial support to learners from Grade 10 to Grade12, ideally those who excel in mathematics and science. This year, scholarships are available to all high school learners, i.e. from Grade 8 to Grade 12, irrespective of their subject choices. Furthermore, where learners previously required a 70% overall aggregate to be eligible for consideration, they now require 60% with a view to improving their aggregate to 70%.
Scholarships cover:
- School fees
- Books and prescribed stationery
- Winter and summer uniforms
- Hostel accommodation (where applicable)
- Extra tuition classes in support of improved grades.
“Reducing the academic achievement threshold for eligibility should not be seen as lowering the standard. It is in fact expanding the reach of the programme and we have often seen how financial, emotional and academic support have led to a fundamental improvement in the academic performance of learners. This is sometimes the break our learners need, to reach their full potential,” explained Harper.
The bursary programme, which formerly focussed purely on funding Engineering studies, is now within reach of students pursuing an array of tertiary qualifications at public universities across the country. In a holistic business environment, the auxiliary line functions that support SANRAL’s Engineering function are as crucial and as such, funding will be available to full-time students studying Law, Public Administration, Finance, Human Resources, among other fields. Matriculants will need a 70% overall pass, while existing students will require 60% to be eligible for a SANRAL bursary.
Bursaries cover:
- Tuition and registration
- Books and equipment
- Compulsory excursions and seminars
- Accommodation and meals
- Living allowance
“Bursary recipients are not automatically employed by SANRAL upon completion of their studies. Through our internship programme, we do offer graduates the opportunity to work and apply their knowledge, while at the same time exposing them to other sectors within the greater built environment space. This expands their pool of opportunities and creates significant networking platforms for further career development,” concluded Harper. Applications will be available on the SANRAL website from 1 June and close on 30 September 2021.