The pursuit of a career in teaching has come under criticism as of recent years, with the profession not receiving the same respect as other careers. The announcement that the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) would no longer fund first-year Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) students also did not help this case.
Nonetheless, students pursuing teaching still have a lot of options with regards to funding. These options include the following:
- Southern African Mathematics and Science Teaching Intern Programme (SAMSTIP) - This programme offers financial aid to those working towards a B.Ed and Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at the University of South Africa (Unisa)
- South African Council for English Education (SACEE) Norah Taylor Bursary - This bursary is offered to already qualified teachers with at least four years of teaching experience who want to continue studies in Speech Training, Oral Communication, and teaching English as first or second language
- Jakes Gerwel Fellowship - Funded by the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation, this Fellowship is available for students in pursuit of education at the University of Cape Town (UCT) or the University of Pretoria (UP)
- Independent Schools Association for Southern Africa (ISASA) bursaries - This bursary is offered for students pursuing a B.Ed or PGCE at Unisa in any of the following subjects: English, Mathematics or Science
- Funza Lushaka bursary - This bursary is offered to undergraduate students in teaching, as well as PGCE students. Once a bursary recipient finishes their studies, they will be placed in a public school by government to teach there for the same amount of years that they were being supported by the bursary
The above list only represents a fraction of the bursaries available for teaching in South Africa, more of which include bursaries by the Department of Higher Education itself.