Vodacom has partnered with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to provide 35 of the country's top performing learners from last year's matric class with bursaries worth R11 million.
Through its corporate social investment wing, Vodacom awards new bursaries to 30 students every year, based on academic excellence and financial need.
This year, the mobile operator has partnered with the DBE to increase that number to include the five top achieving learners from the department's matric announcement for 2016.
For the 2017 academic year, a total of 35 students have been awarded new bursaries to study at higher learning institutions of their choice, says Vodacom.
Students selected for the 2017 intake have all matriculated with an average pass rate of +75%.
According to the mobile operator, the bursary will run for the duration of the students' studies and will cover registration fees, tuition, accommodation, textbooks and meals.
Takalani Netshitenzhe, chief officer for corporate affairs at Vodacom Group, says: "Through such programmes, Vodacom seeks to complement the academic programme with practical life skills and best practice and thereby position the students to better contribute to SA's economy.
"Additionally, the programme is intended to bridge the gap between achievement at tertiary institutions and success in the workplace."
Although Vodacom initially focused on awarding bursaries to students that take up studies in the field of ICT and engineering, this year's bursaries cover studies in accounting, teaching and human resources.
The 2017 intake comprises at least five students from each of the nine provinces, as well as five disabled students, the company says.
Former Vuwani learner Hlulani Malungani, who matriculated from the School of the Blind, is one of the students who received a Vodacom bursary for the new academic year.
Malungani (19) has enrolled for a Bcom in Psychology at the University of Johannesburg. "I'm so happy and grateful for this bursary by Vodacom. Now I have a school and funds to study, all I have to focus on is to work hard to keep my bursary."
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