TATA Africa Holdings Awards Scholarships to 20 UKZN Students

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Twenty UKZN students received scholarships worth a total of R770 000 at the 2014 TATA Postgraduate Scholarships Awards Ceremony held on the Howard College campus recently.

The awards were made by TATA Africa Holdings for the development of postgraduate talent in South Africa. The scholarship recipients are reading towards Honours, Masters and Doctoral degrees in various fields of study.

Congratulating the students, Managing Director of TATA Africa Holdings, Mr Thami Mbele, said: ‘Hard work does earn rewards. I wish you a successful academic year and look forward to seeing you graduate from this University, well equipped with innovative ideas, progressive thinking and the ability to add value wherever your careers take you.’

TATA Scholarships are awarded to students who are financially challenged and who have a proven academic track record during their graduate years. The selection criteria include all races and genders but focuses on increasing the pool of women recipients as well as those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Scholarship winner, Ms Humairah Bassa, thanked TATA Africa Holdings and the UKZN Foundation for the opportunity to read towards a Doctor of Philosophy (Science) degree. Bassa said the investment in her and her peers was an investment in the future of the country, ‘We (students) have a thirst and a need to make our mark on the world…we can contribute here in South Africa and internationally.’

Ms Siphiwe Charmaine Zungu has her sights set on a Masters degree in Population Studies. Zungu comes from a disadvantaged background and has no money to pay for her studies. She thanked TATA Africa for ‘coming up with a plan’ and giving her a platform to make a difference for her family and her country.

The philanthropic relationship between TATA Africa Holdings and the University is facilitated and sustained by the UKZN Foundation.

About the TATA Postgraduate Scholarships programme:

 

•   TATA Africa started the TATA Postgraduate Scholarships programme in 2006, funding a total of 10 postgraduate students at a cost of R500 000.

•   To date TATA Africa has awarded scholarships to over 190 students in South African universities

•   The amount covers the student’s tuition fees, stipend (living costs), books and accommodation for the year of study.

•   There is a strict “no strings” attached policy – in other words the students are not obligated in any way to “work back” their scholarships to TATA after they complete their studies. 

•   TATA Africa also supports Woman in Sciences Awards (WISA) programme in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology, in under-served research areas. 

Sejal Desai