Differences Between the NSFAS and Funza Lushaka Bursary | All You Need to Know
Many are still confused about the difference between NSFAS and Funza Lushaka Bursary, Therefore resulting in not knowing which of the two to Apply for, now if you are of this group of people keep reading.
About Funza Lushaka
The Funza Lushaka bursary programme aims to fund 25% of students enrolled at public Higher Education Institutions for recognised initial teacher education programmes, namely Bachelors in Education (BEd) or a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). The Funza Lushaka bursary programme is not a financial aid programme for students but a merit bursary programme. The DBE and the basic education sector ustilises the programme to address critical teacher shortages in specified subject areas and school phases.
The Funza Lushaka bursary programme was established in 2007 as part of the many efforts to address teacher supply and demand challenges in the basic education sector. Since 2007 more than 91,267 Funza Lushaka bursary awards have been made. During the 2015/16 financial year 13,980 bursaries were awarded. An analysis of these awarded bursaries show that 2,576 students were in their first year while 4,616 students were in their fourth year of study. The lower number of first year bursary holders are attributed to the fact that the Funza Lushaka bursary has to maintain a larger number of existing students while fewer bursaries are available for new applicants. The National Treasury has allocated R1,043,611.00 for the 2016/17 financial year. This amount will be sufficient to fund approximately 14,000 students during the 2016 academic year. The Funza Lushaka bursary programme processed 51,220 applications by 16 January 2016 for the available 4,000 bursaries for new applicants for the 2016 academic year.
See Also; Funza Lushaka Application Form 2022
About NSFAS
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is a government student bursary scheme which receives its funding budget from, and reports to the Department of Higher Education and Training. NSFAS will cover more than just your tuition fees, should you qualify.
NSFAS offers bursaries to South African students who plan to study at public universities and TVET colleges. They cover funding for registration, tuition and allowances.
NSFAS funds students depending on the duration of their course or degree.
Read Also; How to Apply for NSFAS 2021/2022
POINTS
Bursaries can often be the key to our success when wanting to further our studies. Two bursaries that South Africans might have heard of is the NSFAS bursary and the Funza Lushaka Bursary. However, the two bursaries differ in certain areas, check them out below;
Courses
The Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme is a multi-year programme aimed at promoting teaching as a profession and requires students to accept a teaching post immediately after qualifying and they will need to occupy this teaching position for the amount of years that they were funded. This is different in comparison to NSFAS which not only funds teaching degrees but also funds various courses at public universities and TVET Colleges in South Africa.
Repayments
The terms regarding repaying the bursary programme also differ.
All students who received an NSFAS loan before the president’s announcement of free education in December 2017 need to repay the loaned amount as per the signed loan agreement form. Those who have to repay will only start repaying the loan once they have a salary of R30 000 or more per year.
Should you have started funding with NSFAS in 2018 and thereafter, you have received a bursary and there’s no need for you to pay NSFAS back.
Beneficiaries of the Funza Lushaka Bursary may have to repay should they fall under the following cases:
- if the recipient fails to qualify
- registers for a course of study that is not in a designated priority area
- fails to apply for a teaching post with a Provincial Education Department at a public school, following the stipulated processes
- fails to take up a teaching post with a Provincial Education Department at a public school
- leaves a teaching post with a Provincial Education Department before the end of the contracted service period
- fails to meet a requirement of the bursary agreement
Age Limit
The Funza Lushaka Bursary, which funds students year after year, has also got an age limit attached to its list of requirements for students to qualify for the programme, which is only for applicants below the age of 30.
However, NSFAS does not have an age limit when it comes to those who can apply. No matter what your age is, if you meet the requirements, you can get funded by NSFAS.
Registration
The Funza Lushaka Bursary does not cover registration fees and they have stated that students are responsible for paying their registration as they await the outcome of their application. They have also stated that paying your registration fee does not mean that you will receive the bursary.
NSFAS does however cover your registration fee. Should you be asked for a registration fee when you register, you will just need to clarify that you are funded by NSFAS.
Postgraduate Certificate of Education
The Funza Lushaka Bursary focuses on promoting teaching as a profession and because of this, they cover Postgraduate Certificates of Education (PGCE) courses.
However, NSFAS does not cover postgraduate courses anymore and this goes for PGCE as well. Previously, NSFAS funded the qualification but due to financial shortfalls, they decided to no longer fund it.
TVET Students
NSFAS funding covers students who are attending one of the 50 TVET Colleges in South Africa, no matter what course they’re doing. Funza Lushaka however doesn’t with them only funding Bachelor of Education degrees and PGCE, which is only done at Universities.
Duration
Another way in which the two bursaries differ is when it comes to duration. NSFAS follows the N+ rule while Funza does funding year by year.
The NSFAS N+ rule which now applies is N+1 which means that they will fund you for 1 extra year. If your degree is three years long, they will then fund you for four years.
The Funza Lushaka Bursary is awarded for one academic year at a time and the bursary will only be renewed if you send them proof of good academic performance. This means that you will have to apply for the renewal of the bursary every year.
Applications for the Funza Lushaka bursary for the 2022 academic year will open on 1 October 2021. All applications must be made online at www.funzalushaka.doe.gov.za. All new bursary applicants and returning students must apply for the bursary online.
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