Tata Postgraduate Scholarship programme supports tertiary education in South Africa
March 07, 2019
As part of its annual Postgraduate Scholarship Programme for the 2018-19 academic year, 53 academically and financially deserving students at four South African universities were awarded scholarships totalling more than R2.3-million.
“We believe that businesses are powerful constituents of society,” said Mr Len Brand, Head Distribution and Executive Director, Tata Africa Holdings. “The Tata group’s way of conducting business includes a commitment to support the communities in which we operate. Good corporate citizenship is a critical mission for Tata, one that is at the heart of who we are, how we think, and everything we do.”
“In Africa, our efforts to promote the social and economic development of local communities are focused on three main areas: education and skills development; entrepreneurship; and health initiatives.”
Since the programme’s inception in 2006, over R10-million has been disbursed in scholarships, assisting more than 250 young postgraduates to date.
“In line with the business ethos and core values of Tata, with its strong culture of uplifting society and giving back, our objective is to help increase the number of young people primed to take up leadership roles in business, government, and civil society. The Tata Postgraduate Scholarship Programme is one of our flagship education initiatives.”
Tata has partnered with Nelson Mandela University (NMU), University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), and University of the Free State (UFS) to support postgraduate students who demonstrated academic competence and required financial assistance. “Education is extremely empowering and transformative,” says Mr Brand, himself a graduate of the University of Pretoria (Tuks), with a BSc in Industrial Engineering. “It has an amazing ripple effect, with the potential to not only uplift individuals, but the communities in which they live and work, and ultimately society at large.” The scholarships are not faculty-specific and a wide range of candidates are supported across several academic fields, allowing the recipients to freely pursue their chosen specialisations.
Scholarship recipients are not contractually bound to the company once they complete their studies. “By nurturing South Africa’s rich pool of young talent through this annual investment, and growing a culture of giving back,” concludes Brand, “We are committed to making a significant and sustainable impact on the continent.”