Francesca Villette
HIS tenant pays him about R600 a month, which he uses to buy food, toiletries and get by at university. He has taken out a loan to pay for his studies, but next year Phuthehang Letseha may not be able to continue studying teaching.
Letseha is one of 3 861 students studying education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), and one of 2 423 who did not get a bursary.
Like thousands of students, he has had to get a loan, which he plans to pay back after he graduates and starts working.
He is on his own when it comes to creating a future for himself. He has rented out his shack in Kraaifontein for R600 a month. His loan has gone to pay for tuition and campus accommodation.
Letseha’s mother sells vegetables in the Eastern Cape and makes R400 a month if she is lucky, he said.
“My family lost its only breadwinner in 2006 when I was still in Grade 6, my mother was left alone to care for us. Even though she was not permanently employed, she managed to care for me and my brother until I matriculated in 2012. Even though I am struggling financially, I will not give up on my dream of becoming a teacher,” Letseha said.
A total of 2 423 students had applied for the Funza Lushaka bursary and 755 were successful. The bursary programme is offered to 25 percent of the national student teacher intake at universities.
Elijah Mhlanga, spokesperson for the Department of Basic Education, said any quality education system was reliant on the quality of its teachers. There was a shortage of maths, science and African-languages teachers, which would be attributed to the ageing population of teachers.
“Our education system is no different. As a sector, we want every pupil in every classroom to be taught, for the required number of hours per day, by a qualified and competent teacher.
“To support teacher training, R3.094 billion will be awarded in Funza Lushaka bursaries over the 2015/16 and 2017/18 (medium-term expenditure framework) period,” Mhlanga said.
@FrancescaJaneV