Now in its second year, a total of 50 top black grade 12 learners from all across South Africa will will receive the highest honours when they are awarded Siyandisa Foundation Scholarships on the 25th of May 2018.
In 2017, the Siyandisa Foundation Scholarship Programme’s first year, 25 deserving Free State learners from Quintile 1 to 3 schools were the first to benefit from this unique scholarship programme that provides study and personal support to top performing black grade 12 learners from low-income households, with the aim of empowering them to achieve excellent results in their final matriculation exams.
Furthermore, the scholarship programme opens the door to automatic consideration for exclusive under- and post-graduate bursaries under the scholarship programme based on the scholarship recipients’ matric and tertiary education results.
Thus far, the Siyandisa Foundation Scholarship Programme has delivered remarkable results, with last year’s 25 recipients obtaining 136 matriculation distinctions in total in their final grade 12 results. In addition, three of these scholarship recipients were ranked among the Top 10 learners in the Free State.
“Engines are already rumbling at the Siyandisa Foundation in avid preparation for the prestigious 2018 Siyandisa Scholarship Awards function taking place In Johannesburg on 25 May this year, where we will be celebrating, among others, our country's future engineers, chartered accountants and doctors. This will indeed be a life-changing event for many of these learners who mainly hail from rural environments, having thus far overcome massive personal challenges and financial difficulties to stand among the top academic performers in South Africa,” remarks Cikizwa Bacela, Public Relations and Marketing Manager for Siyandisa Trust and the Siyandisa Foundation.
These top performing black learners from Quintile 1 to 3 schools across the country have all been identified based on their final grade 11 examination results, and invited to apply for the scholarships.
Sam Moleko, Chair of Siyandisa Trust and spokesperson for the Siyandisa Foundation, expresses great excitement about the national 2018 Siyandisa Scholarship Awards drawing near. The Siyandisa Foundation was established by Siyandisa Trust, a South African black-owned investment business focused on investing and establishing strategic partnerships with investment partners across a number of industry sectors in South Africa.
“We at Siyandisa Trust truly see ourselves as a partner focused on helping to grow South Africa. It is this same vision that has motivated us to establish the Siyandisa Foundation Scholarship Programme and to this year expand its reach to the entire country – investing in the leaders of tomorrow and in this way also contributing to our collective future,” says Moleko.
*The Siyandisa Scholarship offering includes tablets and data access as a technology platform for learning and interaction. With these tools, recipients gain access to custom high-quality online learning content targeted at matriculation examination preparation. A vital aspect of the scholarship is access to dedicated career counsellors assisting with the vital aspect of career and tertiary study preparation as well as access to personal mentors to assist with many of the soft skills issues learners are faced with. In addition, scholars receive stationery, power banks, a financial incentive of R1 000 per matriculation distinction achieved and the opportunity to quality for high value bursaries of R50,000 each for their tertiary studies.