What is Funza Lushaka Bursary, how do access and apply for it?

Lindani Mgoduka
Sep 5, 2022
4 min read

Teachers are increasingly becoming more in demand in South Africa, Africa, and the rest of the world. That is why the Funza Lushaka bursary scheme was created and to put an edge on the demand of educators for both primary and senior phase public schools. But what is the Funza Lushaka bursary scheme, and how can one access and apply to the scheme, these are some of the questions this blog post will answer and most importantly give guidelines for registering for the scheme.

What is the Funza Lushaka Bursary scheme?

The Funza Lushaka Bursary Scheme Program is a multi-year program designed to promote teaching as a profession for young people, the scheme awards bursaries to academically deserving students to complete their teaching qualification in identified Subjects of national priority areas. The Funza Lushaka bursary program is a South African national initiative, the scheme is funded by the South African National Treasury but is managed by the Department of Basic Education (DBE).

Who is eligible for the Funza Lushaka bursary

Before we give guidance to access and apply for the bursary scheme, it is crucial that we first highlight who is eligible to apply to the scheme and who is not. In this brief subsection, the paper will describe prospective applicants who are eligible for application to the Funza Lushaka bursary scheme and also who should not apply. Importantly outlined in this post are minimum eligibility requirements set by the scheme, all prospective applicants are set to have their application matched against the Funza Lushaka selection criteria.

A. Funza Lushaka bursary scheme eligibility criteria

· Academically gifted individual

· Learners currently enrolled in Grade 12

· Currently enrolled first-year students (Teaching qualification)

· Graduates who want a career change and become educators

· Graduates who want to enroll in PGCE

· Unemployed individuals who want to pursue a career in education

· Must be younger than 30 years of age

· Must be South African

· Must be already accepted into either a BEd or PGCE in Senior Phase and FET teaching qualification by an accredited South African public University.

· Applicants must at least meet two of the priority national subject areas as their specialists’ fields in the teaching qualification.

B. Who should NOT apply for the Funza Lushaka bursary scheme?

· Individuals with a criminal record, misconduct or dismissed from employment.

· Employees, spouses, dependents, and children of individuals under the employment of the various national Higher Education Institutions.

· Individuals above the age of 30 years

· Individuals who already hold a Teachers qualification

· Individuals studying Advanced Certificate in Education (ACE)

· Non-South African citizens

How to Access & Apply to the Funza Lushaka Bursary

Before applying to the Funza Lushaka Bursary Program, each individual or applicant must have applied and gained admission to the academic Teaching qualification at the HEI public university of their choice. Applications to the Funza Lushaka Bursary Scheme for the 2023/24 academic year will be opened on the 1st of October 2022, the scheme Online application system will stop accepting new applications on the 1st of February 2023. This is to offer each applicant sufficient time to complete and attach all required certified documentation before submitting their application.

To access the Funza Lushaka application system, prospective applicants should go to the Funza Lushaka portal link www.funzalushaka.doe.gov.za or the national e-Gov national portal link www.eservices .gov.za and provide all required information. Below are the six steps to follow when completing your Funza Lushaka application using the e-Gov portal link.

How much is the Funza Lushaka Bursary worth

When applying for educational tuition funding, you must know before making your application how much is the bursary worth and what it covers. This is always a piece of good information to have to know, how much of your tuition cost will be paid for, will residence be paid, are monthly allowances are given, and so on. In this section, you will learn about how much is the Funza Lushaka bursary worth, what the bursary cover, and what are the terms of repayment of the bursary.

There is no specific amount of how much the Funza Lushaka Bursary scheme is worth, this is because all public universities have different cost structures and so the value of the bursary is capped at a certain value and will differ according from university to university. However, the Funza Lushaka Bursary Program will cover your students’ essential expenses, see below who the bursary scheme will cover upon being awarded the bursary. The Funza Lushaka bursary repayment is done by working at a public school equal to the amount of duration spent completing your qualification.

1. Tuition fees

2. Accommodation expenses

3. Meals

4. Books

5. Teaching practicals (expenses)

6. Learning material

7. Allowance for the monthly living expenses (depending on university cost structure)

Conclusion

The Funza Lushaka Bursary scheme is the best bursary to apply for when looking to pursue a career in the education field. The bursary is provided by the South African government to help meet up with the demand of educators needed to boost the country's Basic education and FET. In this short article read, you will about what is the Funza Lushaka bursary scheme, how to access and most importantly how to apply for the bursary scheme.

FAQs about the Funza Lushaka Bursary Program

1. Can a student apply for Funza Lushaka bursary for fewer years than that required to complete their qualification? Yes, they can if they are willing to serve those same years teaching a public school.

2. Can I apply for Funza Lushaka to repay outstanding tuition debts? No

3. Can I use the Funza Lushaka bursary in conjunction with another bursary? No, you will have to accept and use the Funza Lushaka bursary only.

4. Who pays for additionally incurred costs while using Funza Lushaka? The bursary holder will have to repay all extra costs owed to the university; this is if you exceed the bursary capped value.

5. Is the Funza Lushaka Bursary renewable? Yes, each year the holder of the bursary is required to re-apply.

6. Will Funza Lushaka pay for an extra year (5th year) to complete my qualification? Yes, but this will depend on a case-by-case basis.