The Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme is a multi-year programme to promote teaching as a profession. Are you wondering whether the Funza Lushaka Bursary will fund you if you take a gap year? Well, here's the answer.
Students who are funded through the Funza Lushaka Bursary programme are required to accept a teaching post immediately after qualifying and an extension will not be granted to a qualifying student even for further studies.
Therefore, unfortunately, you will not be funded by the programme if you decide to take a break while studying and after, in the form of a gap year.
Provincial Education Departments will place students in public schools once they are qualified. You will then be required to teach for every year that you were funded. This means that if you were funded for four years then you will have to teach for a minimum of four years.
If you fail to do this, you will need to repay the bursary.
The bursary programme is designed to boost recruitment into teaching, especially in priority subject areas. In most cases, Faculty or School of Education staff will be able to assist students with the Funza Lushaka priority subjects to determine a student's teaching priority subjects.
In order to qualify for this bursary, you have to meet the following requirements:
- You must fall under one of the following categories:
- learners, currently in Grade 12
- graduates who want to complete a teaching qualification (enroll for a PGCE)
- people who want to make a career change and become teachers
- unemployed people who want to become teachers
- The bursary is only awarded to South African citizens with a valid South African ID number.
- Allocation of Funza Lushaka bursaries to Higher Education Institution employees, their spouse and their dependents/children is not permissible.
- Bursary applicants must already have been accepted into a either BEd or PGCE qualification at an at an accredited public University.
- The applicant must also meet the national selection criteria for the Funza Lushaka bursary.
- The bursary will only be awarded if two of the priority area subjects are included as a specialisation in the teaching qualification.
- The applicant should demonstrate good academic ability.
- The applicant must show commitment to a teaching career, which includes: interest in working with young people; enthusiasm for a professional career in teaching; readiness to face and surmount difficult challenges and personal integrity.
- The applicant must be committed to teach at any school which they may be appointed to by a provincial education deparrment (PED).
Visit the Funza Lushaka Bursary website for more information.
