By Sydney Masinga
Mahikeng - North West youths have until Friday to apply for 71 bursaries worth about R21 million to study skills that are scarce in the province.
The bursaries will cover courses ranging from civil engineering to accounting, architecture and anthropology.
“As part of the provincial government’s commitment to address severe shortage of critical skills in the province, the Office of the Premier is inviting learners and unemployed youth, who are North West residents and desire to study on a full-time basis at tertiary institutions, to apply for the bursaries available in the 2014 academic year,” said North West government spokesperson Moses Kgwele.
Other courses covered include community development studies, LLB degrees, civil engineering, quantity surveying, BSc Occupational Therapy, BSc Speech Therapy, BSc Agric, aviation, town planning, supply chain management, archival studies and records management, financial management, amongst others.
Application forms are available at the Office of the Premier, district communication offices, district and local municipality offices and labour centres across the province.
Applicants must have passed matric in the previous years or they must already be studying at tertiary institutions.
"People with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply,” he said.
Preference will also be given to those from poor areas or those who are performing well academically but are in need of financial assistance.
The deadline for submission is January 10.
The province currently has 227 students who are bursary holders, or beneficiaries of the provincial government's scarce skills programmes.
“Earlier this year, the provincial government also decided to write off over R42 million worth of study loans for the benefit of young people from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds who had studied through the Office of the Premier's bursary scheme,” Kgwele said. – SAnews.gov.za
