The Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme is a multi-year programme that promotes teaching in public schools. Bursaries are available to enable eligible students to complete a full teaching qualification in an area of national priority.
The following must be read before making an application for a Funza Lushaka bursary for 2017
Should you have a criminal record, charged of misconduct or dismissed from work, kindly note that you are not eligible to apply for this bursary.
Allocation of Funza Lushaka bursaries to Higher Education Institution employees, their spouse and their dependents/children is not permissible.
Non-disclosure of the information required as stated in 2 above will be treated as fraud.
This online application is a MUST. No hard copies are accepted by the programme.
Printing of the completed on-line application is a MUST.
Please note that those who already have other teaching qualifications do not qualify for this programme.
Programmes to be funded
Two types of qualifications can be funded. These are shown below. The qualification must include subjects which will allow the student to specialise as a teacher in at least two priority areas (see next section below).
Undergraduate studies
- 4-year Bachelor of Education degree (B Ed), specialising in Foundation Phase (Grade R – 3), Intermediate Phase (Grade 4 – 6), Senior Phase (Grade 7 – 9) and FET Phase (Grade 10-12).
Graduate studies
- One-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) for graduates whose degrees include at least one major in one of the two priority subjects.
Take note that some universities offer qualifications which combine specialisation in the Foundation Phase (Grade R - 3) and Intermediate Phase (Grade 4 – 6), or the Intermediate Phase and Senior Phase, or the Senior Phase (Grade 7 – 9) and FET Phase (Grade 10 –12).
These combined qualifications are also acceptable.
Admission criteria
Selection criteria include the following:
The bursary is only awarded to South African citizens with a valid South African ID number;
The applicant should demonstrate good academic ability;
Students must meet the minimum academic criteria for award of the bursary. In 2017, the minimum academic criteria are:
For 1st time entrants to university:
An exemption, endorsement, or ‘admission to bachelor degree studies’ pass at matric/Grade 12 level.
At least a level 4 pass or 60% on the Standard Grade or 50% on the Higher Grade pass at matric level in the subject which the applicant will specialize to teach.
For students who wish to specialize in the Foundation Phase, a pass in Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy at Grade 12 level is required.
In addition, a level 4 pass or 60% on the Standard Grade or 50% on the Higher Grade pass in the Home Language is required.
If a student completed matric prior to 2008 when Mathematics was not compulsory, a student may still be considered based on an overall good performance (Average of at least 50%).
Students who wish to specialize in the teaching of Technology subjects, including CAT, and who do not have these subjects at matric level, must have a pass in Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy.
If the institution’s admission requirements are higher than the bursary requirement and vice versa then the higher requirement will apply.
For new applicants already at university
The student must have:
The student must have passed all of the modules studied in 2016 or the last year of study at the Higher Education Institution.
At least a 55% average across all the modules studied in 2016 or in the applicant’s last year of study at a Higher Education Institution.
The student must have at least 55% average in modules studied in 2016 or in the applicant’s last year of study at university which relate directly to the priority area teaching specialization.
These are minimum criteria. The Funza Lushaka bursary is a prestigious bursary that must be awarded firstly on the basis of academic ability. The criteria applied at particular institutions may be higher than those suggested here, but cannot be lower.
For new applicants enrolling for PGCE
The student must have successfully completed a recognized qualification that qualifies him/her to be admitted for a PGCE.
To be considered for a PGCE in Foundation Phase Teaching a student must have majored in Psychology and an African Language.
To be considered for PGCE in Intermediate Phase, Senior Phase and Further Education and Training Teaching the student must have majored in the subject he/she wishes to specialize in from the B. degree.
The student must have at least TWO identified priority subjects at second year level;
The student must have sufficient modules in the identified priority subjects to qualify to teach it as a subject at school.
For existing bursars
The student must:
- The student must have passed at least two-thirds (66.6%) of all the subject modules studied in the last year of study at the university.
- The student must have passed at least two-thirds (66.6%) of the priority subject area modules studied in the last year of study at the Higher Education Institution.
- If a student is doing one priority subject he/she must pass it to qualify for re-award;
- The student must be progressing to the next level/year of study.
- The students must achieve at least 50% average across all subject modules.
Applicants must note that these are minimum criteria. Meeting these criteria does not mean automatic acceptance for the bursary.
There are a limited number of bursaries available, and the best students will be selected for the bursary.
The copy submitted to the university must be accompanied by:
- A certified copy of your ID.
- certified copy of your academic results. For 1st year students coming out of Grade 12, this will be a certified copy of your Grade 12 result notification or Grade 12 certificate.For students already at university, this will be a certified copy of your academic transcript, which must include results for 2016 or your last year of study at university.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Applications for the Funza Lushaka bursary for 2018 will open on 01 October 2017.
Please note that there are a limited number of new bursaries available for 2017.
New applicants are advised to also pursue other funding opportunities such as NSFAS.
The outcome of the selection process will be available from the University not later than 30 April 2017.
Closing dates:
- New applications close on 12 January 2018.
How to apply
You need to apply for admission to a teaching qualification (B Ed or PGCE) or a Bachelors degree (e.g. BSc, B Tech, BA) with at least one major course in a priority area at a university of your choice. Once you have gained admission at a university, you are required to apply for the bursary.
Be sure to keep checking the Department of Education Website or click HERE for updates on the online application forms so that you are ready to apply when they open.
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