A Quick Summary of the 2014 Budget Speech and How It’s Going to Affect Your Education

In Parliament on Wednesday, South African Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, announced the 2014 budget review. From an educational perspective, here is a quick breakdown of how the 2014 budget review will affect all South African’s:

·         Education was allocated R 253.8 billion for 2014/2015 financial year.

o   R177.6 billion for basic education

o   R29.9 billion for tertiary education

o   R23.4 billion for vocational and further education

o   R12.3 billion for education administration

o   R10.6 billion for culture and recreation.

·         The goals for basic education includes rebuilding schools that use temporary, informal or traditional (i.e. mud houses) buildings. Although many schools have already been built this year, 433 schools will be rebuilt over a medium-term period. R2.94 billion has been allocated for this purpose.

·         R34.3 billion has been allocated to improving school infrastructures.

·         Gordhan announced that there will be in increase to the budget for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NASFAS) and will amount to R19.4 billion over the next three years.

o   This means that 292 000 FET bursaries

o   …and 236 000 university bursaries can be allocated by 2016/2017

·         The budget also ensured that R78 billion is allocated to university subsidies.

·         The Department of Higher Education and Training will also be working with tertiary institutions to work on student retention, since there is such a high number of dropouts.

Did you know?

Eduloan, the only private financial company solely focused on unlocking potential through providing educational finance, improve people’s lives by access to education. Since 1996 Eduloan has awarded 721 017 loans to the value of over R3, 7 billion. We offer financing for all levels of tuition – school, university or college. Our loan offering also includes loans to cover outstanding balances, registration fees and we will help you pay for all your study related items with loans for textbooks, accommodation, laptops, tablets and other relevant study equipment.

Eduloan study loans make your life simpler:

• Low monthly repayments
• No deposits. No hidden costs
• Fixed monthly installments
• You only need 4 documents to apply
• Get a response in 48-72 hours
• No admin. Your study loan is paid directly to the institution
• No limits. Apply for all your study needs from books to laptops, registration fees or outstanding balances

Setting Goals For 2014…That You Can Really Achieve

Setting goals has become an integrated part of many of our lives… whether you aim to pass maths with distinction, place more effort into science, complete a run in a shorter period of time or learn a new language… there are so many goals and it is so easy to extend your goal deadline. This week we take a look at why you should be setting goals and how to go about it!

Why you should set goals:

Goals are used by achievers in various fields like business and sports – business oriented people might set financial goals for the company whereas sportsmen and woman might choose to set goals like winning a tournament, being selected for a specific team or breaking a record. Much like the goals set by businessmen or women and sportsmen or women, your goals can give you long term vision and help you to benefit from seeing the progress to reach that long term vision.

How to start setting goals:

If you‘re looking at setting goals, you have to look at how they contribute to the bigger picture! Identify goals that you will be able to reach – if you keep to regular small goals, the chances of you being able to reach them is far greater. You will then be able to celebrate reaching your goals (which will do wonders for your confidence).

The best day to start is today. Stop delaying the process and start working on your goals today. Whether you want to achieve better marks so that you can get that dream job, whether you want to take a course to take a step up the corporate ladder or if you want to change professions, today is better than any other day to get that process going.

Are you looking to further your studies to reach your dreams? At Eduloan, we offer educational finance to assist you with school, collage, technicon and university tuition! We also offer loans for study-related equipment like textbooks, laptops, tablets and other study related equipment that you might need to complete your studies (like calculators, stethoscopes and musical instruments for example). Visit our website, speak to one of our friendly consultants (0860 55 55 44) or sms* ‘EDU’ to 32150 and we’ll call you back!

*sms charged at R1

Festive Greetings

We would like to wish you and your family all the best over this festive season. Thank you for your continued support during 2013. We wish you well into 2014, hoping that you reach all your dreams by unlocking even more potential in the new year.

We will be here to answer your calls and respond to requests throughout the festive season, hoping to assist you when applications for 2014 matter to you most! Our Call Centre will be open throughout the festive season!

Operating hours:

08h00 – 17h00, Monday to Friday. Closed on public holidays

Until next year!

Year Of The Artisan &Skills-Based Education: How To Become A Plumber

This year has been declared the “Year of the Artisan and Skills-Based Education” by government, to promote the diplomas and courses offered by Further Education and Training (FET) colleges in South Africa. This month we will be looking at what it means to become a plumber and what you will have to study to qualify as one.

Plumbers fix and replace damaged pipework. They also install new bathrooms, taps and sinks at large construction sites, private homes or in large buildings such as offices, schools or public buildings. 
Their projects can either consist of smaller tasks or larger assignments that might take several days or weeks to complete.

As a plumber in South Africa, you have a variety of job opportunities including working for companies that operate in the construction industry, or specific agencies that specialise in contracting out plumbers to private households or companies. You could also become an independent contractor and work for yourself.

We have three reasons why you should think of becoming a plumber:

1. You can earn good money
2. Your skill is always in demand
3. You have a choice of either becoming an independent contractor or you can work on construction sites.

What you have to do to become a plumber

Plumbers require specialized training in order to operate as a qualified artisan to ensure you comply with local and industry laws and standards. This is moderated and monitored by the National Building Regulators.

There are two ways that you can become a plumber:

1. You can work as a plumbing assistant and do a two year apprenticeship. After your two years, you will be eligible to write your trade test certificate in plumbing.
2. You can complete a two year learnership at a Construction Education & Training Authority (CETA) accredited training college or school that consists of a variety of training modules. After completing your two year learnership, you will be eligible to write your trade test certificate in plumbing.

If you choose to do the two year apprenticeship, you can always do a short course to ensure that you have the practical knowledge required to be able to pass your trade test. Whether you study a short course or a full time programme, make sure your college or school is CETA accredited.

There is a complete list of schools and colleges listed on CETA website. These schools and colleges adhere to the CETA standards and comply with their principles to ensure the best standards in plumbing.

It might also be a good idea to talk to a plumber to find out how they enjoy their day-to-day activities and to gauge whether it is something that you would like to do.

You can contact Eduloan as soon as you have decided which school or training college you would like to study at and one of our consultants will be able to give you all the information you require to get the financial assistance to realize your dream of becoming a plumber. For more information or to speak to one of our Eduloan consultants, visit our website www.eduloan.co.za

Early Applications For Your First Year Of Tertiary Studies – Don’t Leave It Too Late

Many schools, parents, colleges and universities encourage 2014 students to apply to their chosen tertiary institutions as early as possible. You might be thinking “what is the fuss about?”, mainly because you have tons of 2013 Matric commitments, responsibilities, activities and studies that you might want to focus on. Many colleges and universities open for applications in April and application deadlines can come as soon as 30 July. Here are 6 reasons to get you applying now:

Reason 1: Faster Application Feedback

Because there are less applications being submitted to the administration office, you might get a response a bit sooner. If you apply in June, your application may be submitted along with thousands of other students’ and you might get a delayed response.

Reason 2: Pressure

If you receive early acceptance to your chosen college or university, you will have one less thing to worry about – and an important one at that - when you are trying to prepare for your preliminary or final exams.

Reason 3: Applying For Accommodation

Many colleges and universities only consider applications for student housing and accommodation, once you have been accepted at the institution. If you are planning to study at a college or university away from home, you might need to take the time to plan and make sure you apply early enough to get a spot in student housing or accommodation.

Reason 4: Options

By applying early, you can ensure that you have options available. Many colleges and universities will allow you to change your degree or diploma after being accepted as long as you fulfill the requirements. And, if you change your mind completely, you still have time to do something about it.

Reason 5: Running Out Of Spots

Universities and colleges often have a limited number of places available in the program. This often depends on resources. By applying early, you can be sure that “we are unfortunately full for the current year of study” will not be a reason featured on your application feedback.

Reason 6: Financial Assistance

As soon as you have a letter of acceptance from your college or university, you will be able to contact us to find out how we can assist you. We can give you a study loan to cover your study fees as well as accommodation, textbooks and even a laptop or tablet.