MultiChoice South Africa has announced that 236 students will benefit from bursaries worth R26 million in 2021.

The company is making tertiary education a reality for students in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, Broadcasting, Media, Film & Television, Human Resources, Finance, Economics, Law, Communications, UI/UX/CX Design, Consumer Insights and Advertising.

“We believe investing in these fields of study is critical for the future of our industry and our country,” says MultiChoice South Africa CEO, Nyiko Shiburi. “We are excited to provide access to the necessary resources for these future leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs to thrive and flourish in fulfilling their highest potential.”

While the MultiChoice bursaries programme has been a long-standing part of the company’s upliftment initiatives, its 2021 bursaries are of particular importance to the company.

“Many families and households are struggling to make ends meet after either the loss of employment or, in many cases, the tragic loss of loved ones and breadwinners to Covid-19. Our 2021 bursary programme is one of our initiatives that seek to soften this blow,” Shiburi added.

According to MultiChoice, its bursaries programme enables students to focus on their studies without the financial stress that often plagues students and negatively affects their chances of success.

“The bursaries go beyond tuition fees to cover registration fees, accommodation, and a living allowance for the year,” the company stated.

“We hope it will make a meaningful contribution to our country’s recovery, and we wish all applicants the best,” he concluded.

MultiChoice reiterated that applicants must be South African, and registered at a recognised South African institution of higher learning for an undergraduate or post-graduate degree up to the Masters’ level. They must also meet the academic performance requirements of a 65% or higher aggregate mark in their previous year of study.

The bursaries will be awarded for the 2021 academic year only. They may be renewed, based on the availability of funds and the student’s academic performance.

Applications close on 31 January 2021. For more information on the MultiChoice Bursary Scheme, and to apply, visit the website.

SA competing in knowledge economy

Glenn Gillis, CEO, Sea Monster, an animation, gaming and augmented-reality company, believes South Africa s well-equipped to compete in the global knowledge economy, especially in the education space.

“South Africa has unique challenges in the education space. We spend a vast amount of money on both basic and higher education, yet our results are still very poor. This is not helped by the massive divide between the haves and have-nots, which has been further exacerbated by COVID-19. If we hope to build a generation of young people capable of taking our country into a successful global future, we need an innovative education system that works,” said Gillis.

“Yet our very challenges also give us a distinct advantage in the global knowledge economy. We may have issues ranging from a complex environment and diverse market to expensive data – and these do need to be addressed. But we also know how to teach at different levels, we have built-in sensitivity to different cultures, value systems, languages and literacy levels, and we’re well accustomed to working with limited resources.”

Gillis added: “If we can create solutions that work here and battle test them locally, there’s a good chance they will work anywhere. This is in stark contrast to products and services created and tested in high-tech, first-world countries like the US, which may only succeed given a certain limited set of parameters.”