MAYORAL BURSARY FUND TOUCHES LIVES
It was a joyous occasion filled with jubilation, ululation and melodic songs when students received bursaries from the Metro yesterday, 22 February 2024. A total of 83 students were awarded bursaries for the 2024 academic year from Buffalo City Mayoral Bursary Fund by Executive Mayor Councillor Princess Faku.

The multi-million-rand fund will be used towards covering study tuition and registration fees, prescribed books, study material, meals and accommodation for the 2024 academic year. 30 of the students will be doing their undergraduate with 53 being continuing students.

 

The Bursary Fund is a programme by the Metro that seeks to demonstrate the Metro’s commitment to investing in the City’s youth through financial assistance to deserving youth studying in predetermined scarce skills fields of Engineering, Finance, Planning and Scientific Services. The identification of pertinent scarce skills is guided by Directorate Corporate Services and approved by council.

 

Giving her key note address at the ceremony, BCM Executive Mayor Councillor Princess Faku said: “We encourage that once they are done with their studies and managed to get work, they must play a role of taking their siblings to higher education institutions."

"They must also be ambassadors of BCMM and encourage young people to go study and fulfil their dreams. Unfortunately, not all the young people qualify for these bursaries, but those who have applied and did not qualify, it is not the end of the world.”

“There are other avenues of studying like through the NSFAS funding system. Each year in the past two years, my office has been helping thousands of students to register for NSFAS funding. This year alone, last month, we help more than 3000 such students,” said Faku.

 

“Once these young ones are out of high school it is the community that needs to look after them. It is the community that needs to encourage them to study further. Giving them a chance is all up to us leaders. These are our children as well, let us give them that opportunity by availing our support to them,” said the Mayor.

 

The handover of the Mayoral Bursary Fund Awards Ceremony was held at the new Council Chamber City Hall, East London.

 

 

2024-02-23