Bursary opportunity for young would-be conservationists

EXCLUSIVE to school children living in communities surrounding the park, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority is taking on bursary applications from those interested in a career in conservation.

iSimangaliso’s Higher Education Programme came into effect in 2010 and has since provided bursaries and psycho-social support to 98 students from communities surrounding the park.

Fifty-two have graduated in fields related to the work that iSimangaliso undertakes in its management and development of the world heritage site.

Of these graduates, nine are continuing with post graduate studies.

‘The authority offers a package of support to help young people from communities around the Park to access tertiary education in the fields of conservation or tourism,’ said iSimangaliso Project and Facilitation Assistant, Nosipho Ngcobo.

‘This includes a wide range of courses covering all the skills needed in these sectors.

‘We even fund degrees that less obviously fall in our sector like finance, engineering, quantity surveying, development planning, anthropology and psychology.’

The programme is well placed to augment government’s new fee-free education policy, offering a top-up bursary to cover that which is not covered by the government, as well as academic and psycho-social support through its partner organisation REAP (Rural Education Access Programme), skills development workshops and work-based experience.

Slindile Msweli and Bongani Gumede have visited numerous rural schools surrounding the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, from Sokhulu in the south to Manguzi in the north