Yes, Funza Lushaka funds UNISA students. The Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme, run by the Department of Basic Education, explicitly includes distance education and part-time students among those eligible for funding, provided they meet all the same academic, age, and citizenship requirements that apply to any other applicant. Since UNISA is a public university offering the specific teaching qualifications this bursary targets, a UNISA student studying toward a Bachelor of Education or Postgraduate Certificate in Education is treated the same as a student at any contact university for eligibility purposes. This article explains exactly which UNISA qualifications qualify, what the bursary covers, and what a UNISA student needs to do to apply.
What the Funza Lushaka Bursary Actually Is
Funza Lushaka is a multi-year, full-cost government bursary programme aimed at attracting capable students into the teaching profession, with particular focus on subject areas where South Africa faces a persistent shortage of qualified teachers. It is administered by the Department of Basic Education, working alongside the Department of Higher Education and Training and NSFAS in the funding and contracting process. Unlike a general financial aid scheme covering any field of study, Funza Lushaka funds only students working toward specific teaching qualifications, and it comes attached to a service obligation: a graduate who receives the bursary must take up a teaching post at a public school for the same number of years they received funding, once they complete their qualification.
Why Distance Learning Does Not Disqualify a Student
A frequent assumption is that a government bursary tied to a formal service obligation would only apply to students attending a physical, contact-based university. This is not the case for Funza Lushaka. The programme’s own eligibility guidance states plainly that distance education and part-time students qualify, provided they meet all other requirements and complete their qualification within the minimum stipulated time for that qualification. This means UNISA’s Open Distance e-Learning model is not treated as a disqualifying factor at all; what matters is the qualification itself, the subject specialisation chosen within it, and the applicant’s academic standing, not whether classes happen on a campus or through UNISA’s remote study system.
Which UNISA Qualifications Qualify
Funza Lushaka does not fund every course UNISA offers; it funds specific teaching qualifications and the priority specialisations within them. The two qualification types eligible for funding are the Bachelor of Education (BEd), typically a four-year degree, and the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), which serves as a shorter teaching qualification route for someone who already holds a first degree in another field. Within the BEd, UNISA offers specialisations across Foundation Phase (Grade R to Grade 3), Intermediate Phase (Grade 4 to Grade 6), and Senior Phase and Further Education and Training (Grade 7 to Grade 12), and Funza Lushaka funding depends on which of these phases and which specific subjects a student is specialising in, since the bursary is tied to national teacher-shortage priorities rather than to teaching qualifications in general.
Priority Subject Areas That Attract Funding
Funza Lushaka’s funding decisions are shaped heavily by which subjects a prospective teacher is training to teach, since the programme exists specifically to address shortages in defined priority areas rather than to fund teacher training broadly. The subject areas most consistently prioritised include Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Technology and Engineering-related subjects such as Engineering Graphics and Design, Computer Applications Technology, Agricultural Sciences, and South African Indigenous Languages, particularly for Foundation Phase teaching. A student specialising in these areas generally stands a stronger chance of being awarded funding compared to a student specialising in a subject area not listed among the current priorities, since available bursaries are limited and allocated with these national shortages in mind.
Table: Funza Lushaka Eligibility at UNISA
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Institution type | Public university, including distance learning institutions such as UNISA |
| Qualifying qualifications | Bachelor of Education (BEd), Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) |
| Study mode | Full-time, part-time, and distance education students all eligible |
| Age range | Generally between 18 and 30 years at the time of applying |
| Citizenship | South African citizenship generally required |
| Academic entry requirement | Matric exemption or Bachelor’s degree pass, with at least Level 4 in two subjects the student intends to specialise in and teach |
| Ongoing requirement | Must pass all modules from the previous academic year to retain funding for the next year |
| Completion timeframe | Must complete the qualification within its minimum stipulated study period |
What the Bursary Covers
Funza Lushaka is described as a full-cost bursary, meaning it is intended to cover the complete range of expenses tied to completing the qualification, including tuition fees, prescribed study materials, and a living allowance component. There is, however, a capped total value attached to the bursary each year, and if a student’s actual university costs exceed this cap, the difference becomes the student’s own responsibility to cover. A UNISA student should check the specific capped amount published for the current academic year rather than assuming the bursary automatically absorbs every cost regardless of the total, since a distance-learning student’s overall cost structure at UNISA can differ from a contact-university student’s costs in ways that affect how far the capped amount stretches.
The Service Obligation After Graduation
Accepting a Funza Lushaka bursary comes with a binding commitment that applies identically to UNISA graduates and contact-university graduates alike. Upon completing the qualification, the graduate must take up a teaching post at a public school, and placement is arranged by the relevant provincial education department rather than chosen freely by the graduate. Placement can occur anywhere within the province or, in some cases, anywhere in the country, and this placement generally cannot be deferred once offered. Each year spent teaching in this placement counts against one year of bursary-funded study, meaning a graduate who received four years of funding for a BEd needs to complete four years of qualifying teaching service to fully satisfy the bursary agreement.
How the Application Process Works for UNISA Students
Applying for Funza Lushaka is a separate process from applying to study at UNISA, and a student generally needs to have already been accepted into, or currently be registered for, an eligible qualification before a Funza Lushaka application can be properly assessed. The bursary application itself is completed online through the government’s official e-Services portal, and it requires details including the applicant’s university registration information, confirming which qualification and specialisation they are enrolled in or have been accepted into. New applicants and returning bursary holders follow different closing dates each year, with new applicants typically given a longer window that closes several weeks after the deadline for returning students who are simply renewing an existing bursary. A UNISA student needs to treat this as an entirely separate application from their UNISA admission application, since being admitted to a UNISA teaching qualification does not automatically generate or guarantee Funza Lushaka funding.
Renewing the Bursary Each Year
Funza Lushaka funding is not granted once and then guaranteed for the full duration of a qualification automatically. A recipient needs to reapply for renewal each year, and continued funding depends on demonstrating satisfactory academic progress from the previous year, generally meaning the student passed all modules studied in that period. A UNISA student who falls behind on module completion, whether due to the flexible pacing distance study sometimes allows or for other reasons, risks losing renewed funding for the following year if their academic record does not meet the required standard, even though they were funded successfully in a prior year.
Funza Lushaka and NSFAS Cannot Be Combined
A UNISA student weighing funding options should understand that Funza Lushaka and NSFAS are treated as mutually exclusive for the same period of study. A student who holds another bursary, including an NSFAS award, and is then offered a Funza Lushaka bursary is expected to decline the other funding source once the Funza Lushaka offer is accepted, since the two are not meant to run concurrently covering the same qualification and academic year. This is an important consideration for a UNISA student who may have initially applied for or received NSFAS funding before also pursuing a Funza Lushaka application for a teaching qualification.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a UNISA student studying by distance learning receive Funza Lushaka funding?
Yes. Funza Lushaka explicitly includes distance education and part-time students among those eligible, provided all other academic and eligibility requirements are met.
Which UNISA qualifications does Funza Lushaka fund?
Primarily the Bachelor of Education (BEd) and the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), specifically within subject specialisations classified as national teaching priority areas.
Do I apply for Funza Lushaka through UNISA or separately?
Separately. Funza Lushaka applications are submitted through the government’s own e-Services portal, independent of UNISA’s admission application process.
Can I hold both NSFAS funding and a Funza Lushaka bursary at the same time?
No. If you are offered a Funza Lushaka bursary while already receiving another bursary such as NSFAS, you are expected to decline the other funding once you accept the Funza Lushaka offer.
What happens after I graduate with a Funza Lushaka-funded UNISA qualification?
You are required to take up a teaching position at a public school, arranged through provincial placement, for the same number of years you received the bursary.