Bursary recipients together with MKI representatives and UKZN staff members.
The Moses Kotane Institute (MKI) continued its long-running support for and involvement with the University when it recently awarded 81 bursaries to students from the UKZN Centre for Science Access (CSA).
The bursaries were presented to students at events held at the Pietermaritzburg and Durban campuses. In attendance were representatives from MKI including its CEO, Dr BW Ngcobo, as well representatives from UKZN including Dean of Teaching and Learning in the College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science Professor Bala Pillay, and Ms Bridget McBean, Executive Director of the UKZN Foundation.
MKI is an entity of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism, which aims to foreground the liberation of youth through a focus on the study areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
Dr Neil Koorbanally of UKZN’s School of Chemistry and Physics provided a brief history of the CSA which was formed in the late 1990s. CSA is the University’s key mechanism for redressing inequities among students in the natural and applied sciences. It is a direct response by the University to government calls for reform in these “scarce skills” fields.
Mr Z Zondi, Executive of Education and Training at MKI, encouraged students to use the opportunity presented to them through the funding. ‘Remember you hold the dreams of UKZN, MKI and the country in the palm of your hands. Believe in yourselves as much as we at MKI have believed in you,’ he said.
Mr D Memela, Programme Manager of Academic Services at MKI, noted that education functions as the greatest equaliser of circumstances and that the students should use education to become globally competitive.
As a part of the bursary the students are obliged to seek opportunities to apply what they have learnt in contribution to their communities in line with MKI’s values of responsibility, accountability and sustainability.
Ngcobo said students are at the forefront of the struggle for economic emancipation, ‘Your job is to prove that you are able to achieve the soaring heights we expect. Moses Kotane fought in the liberation struggle and through being aligned with our organisation, you too are involved in a liberation struggle of sorts – for yourselves and for those around you. We can hardly refer to these bursaries as solely a financial investment; rather they are ammunition in the fight for economic liberation.’
Pillay thanked MKI for investing in talent at the University and encouraged the bursary recipients to work hard. ‘Together with MKI we at the University are providing support to you to ensure your success,’ he said.
Article issued by University of KwaZulu-Natal