State makes funding available for skills shortage

Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande said on Monday that R150m has been set aside to finance students who are studying courses that will address South Africa's skills shortages.

Nzimande said that the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) would receive the R150m funding to address scarce skills from the National Skills Fund.

He said the allocation was part of a process to consolidate all sources of bursaries and loans under the NSFAS.

Of the R150m there would be an allocation of R22.9m to 820 first year students;  a R7m bursary scheme targeting rural students who have done well in the 2010 National Senior Certificate examinations and R21m allocation for 300 first year bursaries for students with disabilities.

He said the balance of R99.1m  would be allocated to students who were already studying in the fields where there was a scarcity of skills.

However, there are still many students who need to seek alternative funding if they want to further their studies.

If students cannot get a bursary, the best option is to apply for a student loan.  The repayment terms of student loans will depend on a variety of different options.

If you have just left school and you want to further your education, consider applying for a student loan with Justmoney.co.za.