WINDHOEK – “Education is the bedrock of social and economic development. Throughout history, philosophers like Aristotle and Plato recognised the importance of education. And as Horace Mann said ‘Education, then, beyond all other devices of human origin, is the greatest equaliser of the conditions of men, the balance-wheel of the social machinery’, while Aristotle can be quoted as saying: ‘The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.’”
So says Olga Katjiuongua, Manager of Development Fund at the Social Security Commission. The Social Security Commission’s Development Fund (SSC – DF) has called on prospective learners enrolled at any technical or academic institutions of higher education in SADC and from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds to apply for a bursary or study loan from SSC- DF. The closing date for the submission of proposals is 15h00 on Tuesday, September 30, 2014.
Since 2009, SSC DF has awarded 138 full bursaries and spends about N$2.8 million every year on awarding new bursaries. At least 55 percent of the bursary recipients of 2009 are now gainfully employed. SSC-DF also granted 50 study loans since 2012 and spends about N$1.5 million every year on study loans alone.
“When looking at our bursary scheme, we are looking for students who are pursuing full-time studies towards a first diploma or a first degree at a recognised institution of higher education in the SADC region. The proof of admission/application must be submitted. You are eligible to apply if you are a Namibian from any region and any ethnic group with a Grade 12 or equivalent qualification and have an aggregate of 70 percent in the August 2014 exams or at least 27 points in the Grade 12 final exams. Tertiary students must have an aggregate of at least 65 percent. This applies to all groups other than the marginalised who are, however, expected to meet admission requirements of the institutions of higher learning,” Katjiuongua elaborates.
Only children of parent(s) whose combined income does not exceed N$150 000 per annum may be considered. Other socio-economic considerations may also be looked at such as students with disabilities, orphans, children whose parents are unemployed or children of pensioners. Katjiuongua explains that the bursary scheme covers a number of fields including Social Work; Agriculture (only courses that focus on value addition e.g. food processing); Medical related fields (NB: applicants who want to study towards allied health professions are highly encouraged to apply. These are studies leading to qualifications such as occupational therapists, prosthetics, speech therapists, physiotherapist, audiologists, orthopedic technologists/technicians and medical rehabilitation workers) as well as the Engineering and artisan related fields.
When looking at the study loans, Katjiuongua added that the SSC-DF also provides low interest study loans of up to N$150 000 per qualification to academically deserving Namibians from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds who are unemployed. She concludes by encouraging people to visit the Social Security Commission offices country wide for more information as well as application forms.