FREE STATE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT’S ANNUAL VISIT TO HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Modise November 20, 2017 Comments Off on FREE STATE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT’S ANNUAL VISIT TO HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

DMQoZs0W0AAmWF5Johannesburg: As part of the annual visit to Higher Education Institutions, Members of the Executive Council (MECs), HODs, Director General and Executive Mayors/Mayor visited the Free State Provincial Government bursary holders throughout the country on the 14th October 2017. MEC for Police, Roads and Transport Mr. Sam Mashinini, HOD for DESTEA Me. Gadija Brown and the Executive Mayor of Xhariep District Municipality Cllr. Sehanka were in the Highveld of the country where they visited bursary holders at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and Witwatersrand (Wits) in Auckland Park. Bursary holders varied from 1st year students to 5th year depending on their field of study which ranged from Medicine, Chemical Engineering, Mining Engineering, Civil Engineering, Hospitality Management, B.Com Accounting, Public Relations and BSC Biological Sciences to mention but a few. The purpose of the annual visits is to serve as an information session for students, to discuss availability of support system from higher education institutions, to discuss issues of concern for bursars and to motivate them to succeed in their studies. This was the 7th year that the visits takes place.

Addressing the bursary holders, MEC Mashinini said “when you are at the university, you are at the doorstep of entering the mainstream economy, hence we have brought along the business people to this visit”. MEC Mashinini also emphasised that the Executive Council is currently looking at how they can deal with the intake of all Free State bursary holders who have completed their studies. Leading by example, MEC Mashinini hired a lady by the name of Abongile Matshaya on the spot, an unemployed graduate with BTech degree in Information Technology (IT) who was present at the visit because she heard about it from a friend. MEC Mashinini asked her to report for duty on Monday 16 October 2017 at the Department of Police, Roads and Transport in Bloemfontein. The MEC made it clear to her to make sure she grabs this opportunity with both hands and make use of it. This is not “Ebumnandini kula zong’ thola khona” MEC Mashinini said. During the engagements, the bursary holders mentioned some of the challenges that they encounter/ed which MEC Mashinini promised to look into; they are; shortage of equipment, experiential training, registration, books, accommodation and most importantly mentorship as most if not all students find it hard to adjust during the transition of being at the varsity from high school

One of the key issues that the students were encouraged to do was to communicate amongst themselves and be able to share information and assist each other in the event that there is a challenge via WhatsApp group which has been initiated. In the midst of the students were the business people who had already assisted the students by donating productive equipment like laptops and are assisting them financially. They were invited by government to consider the bursary holders for experiential training, learnership and internship at their respective businesses. HOD Gadija Brown advised the bursary holders to be patriotic, disciplined and adhere to the rules at all times whilst they are studying as this will increase their chances of getting hired. The HOD also emphasised the fact that students are being skilled so that they can come back and reinvest their skills in the country and the province. Some of the advantages of the Free State Bursary Programme are to contribute to the development of the economy of the Free State, to promote and develop unemployed youth and to promote needs based education as unemployment is on the rise in the country.

Issued by the Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs.

Elsie Makhasane and Herman Pooe.

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