“We want to make a huge difference in disadvantaged students,” said Reatile Foundation Trust chairman Simphiwe Mehlomakhulu. He spoke during a meeting held at Cosmo City’s Curro-Meridian School on July 16.
Reatile Foundation Trust is a Non-Profit Organisation based in Bryanston. It serves a number of development and social uplifting projects, which include tertiary education scholarship program, community uplifting programs, proving assistant to other NPOs and making a difference in disadvantaged communities.
Reatile Foundation, through Ruta Sechaba Foundation which is part of Curro Schools, is sponsoring 20 students who are studying at Cosmo Meridian.
“We formed a partnership with Ruta Sechaba Foundation to empower learners,” Mehlomakhulu said. “We agreed to pay all the tuition fees for disadvantaged learners who have demonstrated academic appetite. We looked for learners who would not have been able to study at Curro Meridian without any sponsorship.”
He added that they want to impact disadvantaged students and contribute to their education and they already have over 30 students at University of Johannesburg (UJ).
“We target certain qualifications to fund students up to University level,” he said. “We focus more on Science Engineering, and Mathematics students because these subjects positively bring direct impact on the economy.”
Also speaking during the occasion, Curro Meridian School Principal Vusi Masuku said he was thankful for his students to be considered for scholarships.
“We are happy for the wonderful bursaries,” he said. He challenged the learners to be more focused on their studies. “It is now your responsibility to study hard and produce good results. Now that you have been assisted, you should always remember the importance of assisting others when you become successful. I also want to point out that we are not suggesting that public schools are bad. We really appreciate them too.”
In an interview, the sponsored learners told the chronicle about the challenges which they could have faced without getting scholarships.
“I am really thankful to receive such a breakthrough to run away from academic challenges,” said Surprise Mpofu a grade 10 student.
Nsuku Mareana who is doing grade 8 said he is also grateful for the bursary opportunity as it has lifted some burdens from his parents.
Published by Cosmo City Chronical.