Walter Sisulu University Faculty of Health Sciences Bursaries or Scholarship
Scholarship
A group of WSU students laughed all the way back to their lecture halls after receiving a hefty cash injection from one of the country’s largest banks in East London on Wednesday 14 June.
Approximately 48 students from the fields of humanities, sciences and economics were presented with a cheque for R4,8 million through the Absa CEO Scholarship Fund.
“We welcome this generous intervention with open arms and a solemn promise that we will make sure it doesn’t go to waste. All the beneficiaries here present have committed themselves to ensuring that this money doesn’t go down the drain. We will study hard to ensure we fulfil all expectations,” said third-year economics student Azola Mzwendaba.
Absa Regional Citizenship Manager Andy de la Mare said corporates like Absa must play a critical role in promoting participation in and ownership of the economy by the youth through education to achieve inclusive growth.
He said business has a responsibility to create innovative educational tools and strategies for the youth to position young people in an appropriate trajectory to lay claim to their economy.
“At Absa, we don’t simply just give away money and hope for the best. We have invested energy in free programmes such as ‘Ready To Work’ which aim to equip the youth with critical professional skills like interpersonal skills, entrepreneurship, financial management and drawing up of a business plan,” said de la Mare.
Eastern and Southern Cape Absa Head of Business Banking Simphiwe Funani said institutions like WSU cannot be relegated to the back benches when it comes to corporate funding because of the critical role it performs in servicing the poorest of the poor.
He also urged the students to rise above their challenges and not allow their backgrounds to determine their future.
“One of the core values of WSU is the notion of ‘Access and Success’ wherein it’s envisaged that the access provided by the university will equal to success of the students. With this cash injection, we are providing students with access, and we trust that our returns will be your success,” said Funani.
WSU Student Affairs Executive Director Zoleka Dotwana lauded Absa’s efforts and said the intervention would go a long way in relieving some of the ever-growing pressure on the institution’s coffers.
WSU Vice-Chancellor and Principal Prof Rob Midgley encouraged students to make use of interventions such as Absa’s ‘Ready To Work’ programme to enrich and arm themselves with the necessary tools of the trade before they hit the job market.
“Use such programmes, which goes far and beyond just the dispensing of funds, but also fully engages communities in promoting and bettering our societies through education to achieve inclusive economic growth,” said Midgley.