Today, the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal together with the MEC for Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize and Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo respectively, will be meeting business people to urge them to support students from poor background who want to study towards a health related careers.
Journalists are invited to attend the dinner to be held today (Tuesday, 30 August 2011) at the Southern Sun Elangeni Hotel from 18h00 where the Premier will deliver a keynote address.
The Department of Health provides bursaries to students who want to study a health related professions. In the past three years a total of R141, 6 million (R44,8 million in 2008 to 755 students, R42,4 million in 2009 to 825 students and R54,2 million in 2010 to 877 students) was spent towards offering bursaries to 2457 students from poor backgrounds.
The Premier and MEC Dhlomo will, tonight, thank those business people who continue to support poor students. MEC Dhlomo says; “We need to begin to say to young people: ‘only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be’.
Education equips young people, girls and women in particular, with skills needed to protect their health. Poverty denies many the chances to attend and complete tertiary levels of education. This negatively affects HIV prevention (for an example) and is associated with increased risk of experiencing sexual and other forms of gender -based violence.”
At the beginning of the year MEC Dhlomo organised a business dinner in Newcastle to congratulate matriculants and the schools that performed well in the 2010 matric exams. At the dinner business people were asked to support students who did well but had financial challenges to continue with their studies. At the dinner a sum of R1 million was raised and a number of students received commitments to financial assistance.
Please confirm attendance with:
Chris Maxon
Cell: 083 447 2869
E-mail: chris.maxon@kznhealth.gov.za
