By Frederick Philander
WINDHOEK
“As the line minister tasked with this mammoth responsibility of shaping our future human resources, it is quite heartwarming when socially responsible corporate citizens like MTC are coming to the fore to lend a helping hand.” This was said late last week by the Minister of Education, Nangolo Mbumba, at a bursary handing over ceremony at Unam. MT
MTC handed over N$100 000 to a number of vulnerable ICT students.
“While the government scheme aims to assist as many students as possible, the government cannot shy away from purposefully giving priority to those disciplines which will enable the government to spearhead human and economic development of the nation. Students with outstanding records of achievement contribute to the quality of education at Unam,” the minister said.
By choosing to support final year students, MTC has taken cognizance of the fact that scholarships can make a difference in whether a student not only attends university, but also whether such a student remains in the university.
“I am aware that the MTC Foundation doesn’t support endowment funds but wish to make the following observations. In terms of endowed scholarships, an endowment fund protects the principal gift and uses only a portion of the interest earned each year to provide scholarship support. Since the principle remains intact, a donor like MTC can ensure that its initial investment will continue forever as long as necessary,” he asserted.