The Durban University of Technology (DUT) Financial Aid Unit hosted a Bursary Day event on Wednesday, 18 April 2024 at the Fred Crookes Sports Centre, Steve Biko campus in Durban. The purpose of the day was to introduce students to different sponsors, who are dedicated in offering financial sponsorship to needy and deserving students, enrolled within the institution.
The gathering began with DUT’s Dean of Students, Dr Clement Moreku, welcoming all the attendees and sharing words of appreciation on behalf of DUT. Moreku praised the vital role played by the Financial Aid unit as they serve as the link between students and sponsors.
“The Financial Aid unit administers bursaries to over 23 000 students at DUT and is responsible for the selection process to allocate bursaries. I want to acknowledge the crucial role that financial support plays in shaping the journey of our students towards academic success,” he said.
In promoting and living the DUT ENVISION2030 values and principles, the Director of Advancement and Alumni Relations unit at DUT, Mr Zwakele Ngubane briefly unpacked the link between ENVISION2030 and the students development.
“I would like to acknowledge our sponsors and donors who play a very crucial role in the lives of students. My role here is to briefly talk about ENVISION2030 and what it brings to us. We want to support our students and we understand that finance has become a critical factor in determining the success of students. Ideally, when one begins to understand ENVISION2030, the main component to understand is that it focuses on ensuring that we produce adaptive graduates, who are going to go out into societies, be productive and contribute towards the development of our country,” he narrated.
Student Representative Council (SRC) Finance Officer, Sihle Nkosi said the sponsor’s commitment and dedication to the cause of academic success of students will not go unnoticed.
“Also as the SRC, we appreciate the work done by the office in minimising students’ funding issues and the support to students from the various units under students services. It is the Dean of Students that alluded that indeed the Financial Aid office works hard to provide financial freedom to students and I can attest to that as I have experienced their great work,” he said.
Dr Mzwandile Khumalo who is the Siyaphumelela Institutional Lead/Teaching and Learning Development Practitioner at the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), briefly highlighted the impact of funding in academic performance.
“My focus is on student success and it is very important to understand that student success is a complex topic, as it cannot only be achieved through grades. The year 2024 marks the effort that DUT has made in reshaping the landscape of foreign education. The influence that DUT has made particularly on students access and success has brought global attention as of recent,” he said.
Students were granted an opportunity to engage with different sponsors, such as Eskom, Hollywoodbets, eThekwini Municipality, Lenovo, Sanral, Lake Smit, Ampath Laboratories and KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission.
Sharing the words of appreciation on behalf of the students was Student Representative Council (SRC) President, Solomzi Zoleka, who extended sincerest gratitude to the sponsors for their unwavering support and generosity.
“Your contributions have and will empower us to enrich the student experience, fostering growth, learning, and curb socio-economic issues which affect most of our students . Your belief in the vision of DUT and individual vision has been instrumental in realising our goals, and for that, we are profoundly grateful,” he said.
DUT’s Senior Financial Aid counsellor, Keshan Govender gave a vote of thanks and shared a message of gratitude to all the sponsors, students and other support units that made the event a success.
Pictured: DUT students engaging with bursary sponsors at the event.
Thubelihle Dumakude
