Aletta Shikololo

WINDHOEK - “Despite many initiatives government has put in place, education especially at tertiary level is still not affordable for many of our students. It is a growing burden of government and on the parents, who want to see their children get the necessary skills to contribute to the development of the economy. This burden cannot be tackled by the government alone, but will require different stakeholders including those from the private sector to come on board and assist government with these challenges,” said the CEO of Sanlam group Tertius Stears. 

Speaking at the handover of six bursaries to deserving Namibians, Stears said that Sanlam remains committed to making a difference in the lives of everyday Namibians.

He added: “Our education system is facing enormous challenges which prevent the Namibian child to get quality education.”
The bursaries were handed over as part of Sanlam’s corporate social responsibility initiative.
The Sanlam bursary scheme aims to reward well-performing but disadvantaged Namibian students with an opportunity to pursue their tertiary education. 

The bursary further aims to make a meaningful contribution to the country by developing the much-needed skills in the fields of accounting and finance, marketing, human resources, business administration and actuarial science.
To date over 50 students have benefited from the bursary scheme with over N$2 million having been spent on the scheme since 2002 when the bursary scheme was first initiated. 

Some of the students who previously benefited from the bursary scheme have gone on to create their own businesses where they employ other Namibians and some have taken up positions within Sanlam and other companies.
Stears urged the beneficiaries to double their efforts during their studies so that they complete their studies with flying colours and later are able to contribute meaningfully to the country.