An Eastern Cape girl’s dream of becoming the first chartered accountant in her family could come true after she was awarded a full scholarship by the Eric and Charmaine Mabuza Scholarship Foundation.
Nazi Kalase, 17, is one of the 26 students who have been granted full-time university scholarships by the organisation in partnership with Ithuba, the national lottery operator.
Nazi, Centane, Eastern Cape, is the firstborn in a family of three siblings and lives with her mother. She matriculated from the Zingisa Comprehensive High School.
Her mother was the person who told Nazi about this great learning opportunity, encouraging her to apply.
The 17-year-old said her educational goal was to study accounting sciences at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and her personal goal was to one day buy her mother a car.
The scholarship not only funds tuition but also pays for accommodation and living expenses. Some of the universities these top students will study at include the University of KwaZulu Natal, Rhodes University, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, University of the Western Cape, University of Free State and University of the North West.
Charmaine Mabuza, Ithuba Group CEO, said: ‘’Part of the vision 2030 mission is to improve access to occupations in high demand and priority skills aligned to supporting economic growth, employment creation and social development whilst also seeking to address systemic considerations – hence the National Skills Development Plan, which Ithuba subscribes to. This cannot be achieved without education. First, the youth must acquire knowledge, and then their skills can be refined. Many of our scholarship beneficiaries become a part of the Ithuba graduate programme, to fulfil this very purpose.”
Minister of Higher Education Blade Ndzimande said scholarships such as these helped those who do not qualify for the National Student Financial Aid System (NSFAS) but are also not able to afford tuition fees.
“We constantly worry about the missing middle. They are the ones often eliminated, phenomenal students who are deprived of the opportunity to study further,” he said.