27 January 2006
Pretoria â Eighteen of the countryâs top matric achievers today received
full tertiary scholarships from President Thabo Mbeki at the Presidential
Guesthouse in Pretoria.
The scholarships, granted through the newly established Thabo Mbeki Matric
Merit Award programme, recognise learners who achieved academic excellence in
their matriculation examinations.
Administered by the Thabo Mbeki Education Trust, the programme selects two
of the most outstanding matric learners from each province. The scholarships
are awarded irrespective of the field of study the learners wish to pursue.
This yearâs learners have elected to study from a wide range of degrees
including Finance, Law, Physiotherapy, Engineering, Theology, Medicine and
Accountancy.
The recipients received financial grants covering the cost of tuition, books
and accommodation for the academic year. In addition, they were presented with
a laptop computer and a 3G communications card courtesy of Lenovo and Vodacom
respectively. The learners will continue to receive financial aid for the
duration of their chosen degrees, subject to achieving academic excellence for
each year of study.
âThe combined value of the scholarships over the duration of the 18
learnerâs studies will be approximately R4 million,â said Dr Hasmukh Gajjar,
Chairman of the Thabo Mbeki Education Trust. âThese scholarships ensure that
the learners are equipped with sufficient funding and the latest technology to
complete their studies efficiently and without any financial concerns.â
At the reception, President Mbeki emphasised the need for the learners to
continue maintaining their academic excellence throughout their studies, thus
equipping them with the skills necessary to make a positive contribution to the
future economic growth and development of South Africa.
As a condition of the scholarship, learners are required to become
ambassadors of the Thabo Mbeki Education Trust, communicating their
achievements and successes in order to encourage future matrics to strive for
academic excellence.
The Minister of Education, Minister Naledi Pandor, Rashid Wally from Lenovo
and Shameel Joosub from Vodacom joined President Mbeki in congratulating the
learners.
The Thabo Mbeki Education Trust was created to provide financial support for
the tertiary education of students in the fields of technology and economics.
The Trust has expanded to in-corporate additional initiatives and has supported
over 250 students through its scholarship programmes to date.
The Thabo Mbeki Matric Merit Award programme is the first in a number of new
developments that the Trust is planning to roll-out during the course of the
year.
Enquiries:
Dr Hasmukh Gajjar
Tel: 011 800 7446
Cell: 082 990 0010
Jay Desai
Tel: (011) 800 7446
Cell: 082 379 1963
Cian Mac Eochaidh
Tel: (011) 807 4750
Cell: 072 238 3596
Issued by: The Presidency
27 January 2006
