Solomon Mahlangu Scholarship Fund “My blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom. Tell my people that I love them and that they must continue the fight.”- Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu, 6 April 1979 Background The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) in its quest to address the challenge of youth unemployment and access to education, among many others, recently changed its core business to focus on Education and Skills Development as the organisation’s main priority. This move was informed by recent studies which suggested that salary remained the main source of income for young South Africans. To support this new strategic focus the NYDA is introducing the Solomon Mahlangu Scholarship Fund (SMSF), a R10-million fund established to create industrialists as an investment towards youth empowerment. The purpose of this fund is to avail financial support to youth to enable them to pursue quality education in an institution of higher learning with youth in rural areas as primary target. The scholarship fund was established in honour of Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu who at the age of 23, was executed under the apartheid laws after being wrongfully accused of murder and terrorism. Fearing crowd reaction at the funeral, police decided to bury Mahlangu in Atteridgeville, Pretoria. The scholarship fund is designed to create an environment for affording the marginalized youth with excellent academic background, an opportunity to further their studies locally and abroad. Financial support will be provided to youth who pursue full time degrees that fall within the priority growth sectors, critical and scarce skills areas outlined in the labor planning frameworks of the country. The fund will be accessible to deserving South African youth who meet the minimum entry requirements set by the NYDA - youth who have been admitted for study at credible Universities and Universities of Technology, local and international. International scholarships will be considered if they have been endorsed by a South African government department or a credible public or private agency. Objectives of The Solomon Mahlangu Scholarship Fund · To provide financial support to youth in the form of scholarships to increase their chances of accessing quality higher education in their field of study · To increase chances of employability or entrepreneurship based on the positive correlation between level of education and employability · To establish the largest scholarship programme in the country, which will enable youth to study locally and abroad · Empower the youth (14-35) with education to enable them to compete favourably in the labor market. · Contribute to the development of critical and scarce skills Log on to: nyda.gov.za
Posted on: Wed, 02 Oct 2013 09:01:29 +0000
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