In 2011, bursary loans will mainly be allocated to students who study teaching, but deserving applications of applicants who want to study in other fields will also be considered. Financial assistance is granted based on the availability of funds and the following criteria:
- Prospective applicants must be bona fide Afrikaans-speaking persons or, if their mother tongue is not Afrikaans, be proficient enough in Afrikaans so as to be able to undertake studies where Afrikaans is a teaching medium.
- Applicants must enrol at an education and training institution where Afrikaans is one of the mediums of instruction and must, as far as possible, take all course units in Afrikaans.
- Students who want to apply for research grants must write and hand in their essays, dissertations and theses in Afrikaans. However, the Fund currently focuses on providing financial support to pre-graduate students.
- Applicants must, if at all possible, be willing to hold a post in South Africa for a period equal to the duration of their studies/training and, in the case of teachers/trainers, to make an attempt to work for a school/training institution where Afrikaans is one of the mediums of instruction and, as far as circumstances will allow, to teach in Afrikaans.
- The Fund could take the subject choices of applicants who want to study teaching into consideration when deciding to grant financial support, in order to supply the demand for instruction in Afrikaans in scarce subjects/learning areas or to supply any other identified demand.
- Applicants who want to undertake studies in fields other than teaching will also be assessed according to requirements that are demand oriented. Therefore, the demand in the broad labour market will be a decisive factor when bursary loans are allocated, with due regard also being given to the Fund’s mission and objectives.
- Financial support is mainly given to full-time students. A critical factor that will be taken into consideration is whether an applicant has a proven academic track record or the potential for undertaking further academic studies.
- Characteristics like leadership qualities, self-discipline and the will to succeed, inasmuch as they are apparent in the application, will be taken into consideration.
- Consideration will be given to the financial position of the applicant/parent(s)/guardian(s). A means test will be applied, taking account of the gross income of the applicant/parent(s)/guardian(s), their fixed assets and investments, debt obligations, day-to-day expenses and family obligations (e.g. children who are in school or university).
- In cases where surety is required from applicants, the guarantors must show by means of a statement of assets that they are in a position to assume responsibility for the debt. If surety cannot be obtained, the Bursary Committee may recommend applications that have merit (to be treated purely as ex gratia cases).
- If it appears from an application form or information provided by a training institution for teachers that an applicant already receives financial assistance from another source and the need for financial assistance appears to be smaller that the amount applied for, only the actual need for assistance will be considered.
- Underprivileged students will enjoy preference with respect to allocations of ex gratia bursary loans.
- Due consideration will be given to the merit of each application and the principle of broad representation with respect to gender, population group and teachers’ training institutions.
Applicants or their parents/guardians who have an association with any of the partners of the Fund, i.e. Rapport, Solidarity, the Afrikanerbond or the Dagbreek Trust, or with institutions who have made substantial contributions to the Fund will not receive preference above other applicants. The Fund is, after all, open to all Afrikaans-speaking youths.