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Young Tech - Entrepreneur Launches Digital Solution to Help Students Access Bursaries & Scholarships

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Young Tech - Entrepreneur Launches Digital Solution to Help Students Access Bursaries & Scholarships

Young Tech - Entrepreneur Launches Digital Solution to Help Students Access Bursaries & Scholarships

4th May 2020

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/ MEDIA STATEMENT / The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

Foonda Technology Solutions is on a mission to bring tertiary education closer to young people, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds, through the creation of digital solutions aimed at making institutions of high learning and other quality education opportunities more accessible.

We are proud to announce that the official Foonda website will be launched on the 01st May 2020, while a launch date for the company’s first Edu-Tech product called the Foonda App will be announced at a later date.

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The Foonda App is a digital platform that aims to match eligible students with tertiary scholarships, bursaries, learnerships and other sponsorship opportunities from across the globe.

According to a 2019 Statistics South Africa report on Higher Education and Skills, 51% of the country’s youth aged 18-24 claimed they had no funding to advance their tertiary education. This plight was also reflected in discussions and debates that emanated from the #FeesMustFall crisis.

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Company founder Vuyolwethu Pakade says this dilemma together with his mother’s journey is exactly what inspired him to create the Foonda mobile application.

Pakade believes that sponsorship and skills development opportunities are available but young people from underserved communities do not have the right information or support to help them apply.

 “Getting a tertiary education could unlock many opportunities and help a lot of people escape the cycle of poverty as it has done with my family in the past. We want to level the playing field by connecting people to the many opportunities that exist out there” Pakade says.

With the world now facing the harsh impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic, varsities in many countries have suspended contact classes meaning that students will have to study from their homes.

While being on lockdown forces us to reflect upon the different ways in which we view and appreciate freedom, it should also serve as an opportunity for us to rethink our approach to education on the African continent and begin working towards a “new normal” for the future.

Pakade believes that more African digital solutions should be put in place in order to make higher education accessible especially to those living in remote rural areas.  

“Our mission goes beyond the App. We want to revolutionise the tertiary education ecosystem across Africa. There is a need to digitise tertiary education and quality education opportunities in a way that makes it more accessible and equitably shared. We aim to one day make Foonda the largest Edu-Tech Start-up in Africa and to significantly contribute to many young African and other future world leaders in realising their dreams and aspiration.” says Pakade.

“We know this is neither an easy mission nor one that can be achieved on our own, but we have seen amazing things being done when society comes together. We do hope to build meaningful and purpose led partnerships with corporates, educational institutions, government and society at large in order to make the vision possible,” Pakade adds.

 

Distributed on behalf of Foonda by Riverbed Agency

 

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