With the 2022 educational year in full swing at all levels the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has released a reminder to make use of a bursary for those in the region.
The Gauteng City Region Academy (GCRA) opened its applications some time ago and will close on 28th February, so there’s still a decent amount of time to apply which makes the reminder from the GDE on Twitter timeous.
“GCRA is responsible for building a pool of skilled, capable and ethical workforce for the Gauteng City Region. This is done through different interventions, i.e., bursaries, internships, learnerships, skills programmes, etc,” reads the description.
“The GCRA bursary programme is open to all qualifying youth, with particular preference given to youth from Gauteng, who wish to study for an undergraduate and/or post-graduate programme at an accredited and registered Post School Education and Training institution in South Africa. The bursary covers full cost of study, with conditions, as stipulated in the bursary contract.”
The full details of the GCRA Bursary can be found on a dedicated site here. From this page students can also register and apply to the initiative.
It’s important that applicants carefully read the criteria as its quite strict and certain elements, such as residency in Gauteng, require proof.
Of note here is that the required documents also need to be certified and not older than three months. This is unfortunate as certifying documents usually means handling physical paper and leaving the house which aren’t ideal with the ongoing pandemic. This is a requirement that we saw the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) abandon for the most recent application cycle in a bid to keep students safe.
One element of the criteria that we found surprising but welcome is the large age range who can apply as this is not locked down to just those in the typical age rage of leaving high school and entering higher education. Anyone between the ages of 18 and 35 can apply, assuming they meet the other requirements.
It should be noted, however, that applicants who are successful and receive a bursary at 35 will not have it renewed the following year when they turn 36.
