DUT student support initiatives driven by student-centredness and engagement

THE Development and Alumni Relations department at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) was established to further the advancement needs of the university through the mobilisation of resources and support from various university stakeholders. The Alumni Bursary Fund and the “One Meal, Once a Day” programmes were initiated as a means to support DUT students who are in need of assistance.

These initiatives are aligned to the DUT Strategic Plan 2015-2019, version 2.0. The plan is driven by two imperatives: student-centredness and engagement. These are the threads that constitute the fabric out of which DUT is created - the two strands in its DNA.

The plan speaks of one of DUT’s purposes as being the improvement of the life chances of our students. As a student-centred and an engaged university, DUT has committed itself to providing its students with the kind of learning environment that helps them grow intellectually, socially and emotionally.

To make a contribution towards these initiatives or for further information, contact Zwakele Ngubane via e-mail at zwakelen@dut.ac.za or on 031 373 3020. More about the initiatives * The Alumni Bursary scheme augments the current National Student Financial Aid Scheme’s allocation to DUT, with a specific focus on students that fall between the cracks either due to insufficient funds or inadequacies in the national allocation criteria.

* The “One Meal, Once a Day” initiative is the university’s dictum for a feeding scheme campaign to assist needy students across DUT campuses. The project was conceptualised in order to provide needy DUT students with at least one meal every day. A swipe card system assists students with obtaining these meals from the campus cafeteria, protecting the students’ dignity while ensuring efficiency and transparency in managing the project.