- UCT Online High School is launching partial scholarships for grade 8 to 11 students from “economically disadvantaged families”.
- The scholarships will only cover 50 percent of the monthly tuition fees, but parents and guardians will still have to provide notebooks, printers, internet access, textbooks and more.
- 500 students will receive the partial scholarships for which applications open on 4th September and close on 31st October 2024.
*UPDATED: 01/08/2023 – Added a new quote from UCT Online High School chief partnerships officer Grant Ruskovich.
In efforts to aid more South Africans to access education, UCT Online High School says it has opened applications for partial scholarships for the 2024 academic year.
Around 500 scholarships will be up for grabs at UCT Online High School, from grades 8 to 11, as part of what it deems the “Learning Liberated Scholarship” programme, which is similar to efforts it made in 2022 when it offered R5 million worth of scholarships to adult learners.
According to an announcement from the school, the scholarships will be launched “to invest in the education of talented and deserving learners across the country from economically-disadvantaged families – who demonstrate academic potential, have tertiary education aspirations, and the intent to make a positive and impactful contribution to our nation.”
“South Africa’s education system is currently facing unprecedented challenges – with an insufficient number of teachers, limited infrastructure, and inadequate resources, the country’s youth are struggling to access quality education. In response to these challenges, UCT Online High School offers a solution that is both innovative and accessible, providing high-quality education at an affordable cost,” it says.
UCT Online High School, which already offers lower school fees than many in-person institutions, says it has joined forces with “notable corporate and philanthropic partners” in order to make the partial scholarships possible.
Applications for the scholarship programme open on 4th September 2023 and close on 31st October. Notifications for accepted applicants will be sent out in early December 2023, where they will have a short month to begin preparing before joining the UCT Online High School academic programme in January 2024.
Criteria to join the UCT Online High School “Learning Liberated” Scholarship programme
UCT Online High School indicates that there are 11 criteria involved in the application process, and students will have to hit all to be considered.
In order to be considered to join the programme, you will have to:
- Be a South African citizen residing in South Africa,
- Be interested in completing a National Senior Certificate (matric),
- Be age appropriate for entry in grades 8 to 11,
- Achieve 70 percent and above in English Home Language and Mathematics,
- Be in financial need (combined household income cannot exceed R350 000 per year),
- Have aspirations to embark in tertiary studies and must submit a letter detailing these aspirations,
- Have access to a notebook, internet, printer, earphones and a UPS device,
- Have at least one adult that can help you with your time while online learning,
- Submit an application reference letter from your current school,
- Successfully complete a “Scholarship Application Assessment,”
- and have successfully submitted all the required documents.
As you can see the list of hurdles is hefty for the partial scholarship. We are also concerned about the fact that you will need access to a laptop or similar device, internet, earphones and a UPS to be considered. For a scholarship that says it aims at bringing education to students in “economically-disadvantaged families” this hurdle seems counter-productive.
The school may be aware of this, as Grant Ruskovich, chief partnerships officer, confirmed to Hypertext that the school is looking at options in this regard.
“In addition to our scholarships program, UCT Online High School is actively engaging in discussions with potential partners who aim to offer significantly reduced data rates and possible access to hardware for all our learners. These collaborations with corporate entities in South Africa play a vital role in our efforts to enhance access to quality education for learners from diverse backgrounds across the country,” he told us.
The partial scholarships will cover 50 percent of the tuition fee for the duration of the scholarship awarded, and 100 percent of the SACAI Grade 12 examination fee. For example, the fees for the National Senior Certificate programme are R2 195 per month, which means that the scholarship will cover R1 097.50 and guardians will have to pay the difference.
Guardians will also still have to pay for all necessary electronics to take part in online classes, as well as stationary, language setworks and the other 50 percent of the tuition.
Despite offering 100 percent of the SACAI Grade 12 examination fee, the scholarships are not availabe for Grade 12 students.
UCT Online High School says that this is because “of the demands, rigour and academic preparedness required for a successful completion of the important Matric year.”
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