Question NW3138 to the Minister of Basic Education

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14 September 2015 - NW3138

Profile picture: Bozzoli, Prof B

Bozzoli, Prof B to ask the Minister of Basic Education

(a) What is the rationale for only giving Funza Lushaka bursaries for teacher training to students who have a third language or for giving preference to students who are doing an African language at the Foundation Phase training level, (b) is his department aware that this de facto, although not de jure, excludes most so-called coloured, Indian and white students from the specified bursaries regardless of their financial circumstances, particularly those who attend colleges which do not offer African languages and (c) how many students from so-called coloured, Indian, white and black backgrounds respectively have received Funza Lushaka bursaries at each level of training in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012, (iv) 2013 and (v) 2014?

Reply:

a) The Funza Lushaka Bursary programme does not have a specific focus on students who have a third language. However, the bursary programme does give preference to students who will be able to teach in an African Language in the Foundation Phase. The rationale for this is teacher supply and demand statistics of the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) that corroborate the shortage of Foundation Phase teachers and emphasise the importance of recruiting Foundation Phase teachers who are trained to teach in an African Indigenous Language. More teachers who teach in African Indigenous Languages are needed to promote mother tongue instruction at the Foundation Phase level (DBE & DHET, 2011), particularly in light of the Initial Introduction of African Languages Policy. A report released by the Centre for Development and Enterprise (March 2015) also highlights the shortage of new teacher graduates in the Foundation Phase, whose mother tongue is an indigenous African Language.

b) No. The Funza Lushaka Bursary programme aims to attract academically deserving, suitable South African students, including Afrikaans and English speaking students, to become competent teachers in identified priority, scarce skills subjects and phases.

c)(i) (ii) (iii) and (iv) The table below reflects the number of bursaries awarded by race:

Year

African

Coloured

Indian

White

Not Indicated

Total

2010

5 806

1 267

326

2 573

101

10 073

2011

4 955

1 124

298

2 242

6

8 625

2012

6 988

1 553

345

2 722

10

11 618

2013

9 170

1 723

407

2 971

29

14 300

2014

9 639

1 632

368

2 692

18

14 349

Source: Funza Lushaka Awards Data

Source file