LIMKOKWING OFFERS 50% DISCOUNT IN SCHOLARSHIPS

MBABANE - Eswatini’s Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (LUCT) is offering up to 50 per cent scholarships discount to its first-year, 2020 intake students. 

This is in addition to a flexible, fees payment-plan that is already in place. The 50 per cent scholarship discount will only be given to qualifying first-year self-sponsored students, who were unable to get a government scholarship. 

This was revealed by LUCT Public Relations Officer Lucky Mathonsi. He said the offer runs simultaneously with a 30 per cent discount on tuition fees, which would only be given to currently registered self-sponsored students who pay the full tuition-fee amount upfront.

Limkokwing’s annual tuition fee is E19 500 and this means the qualifying first year students will only pay E9 750, which is 50 per cent of the annual tuition fee. 

Slashed

The already registered students will have E5 850 slashed from the annual tuition fee and they would only pay E13 650.  Mathonsi said the university’s decision to offer partial scholarships complemented its efforts to provide quality education while positioning itself as the number one creativity and innovation tertiary institution in Eswatini. 

He said globally, Limkokwing University was committed to increasing access to tertiary education for the youth, and as a result, the Founder of the university, Emeritus Tan Sri Dato Sri Paduka Limkokwing, found it fitting to give out scholarships to selected groups of students who were unable to get government sponsorship. 

Mathonsi added that it was not just Eswatini that benefitted from this kind gesture, but all the LUCT institutions across the continent. He also mentioned that Limkokwing University had in the past given scholarships worth millions to people with disabilities, the creative industry and the media fraternity. 

“The flexible payment-plan offered by the university allows self-sponsored students to pay tuition fees in instalments, which has made it easier for sponsors and parents of self-sponsored students to pay for their children’s education. The 30 per cent and 50 per cent partial scholarships (discount) from the university will further lighten this responsibility and bring qualifying students closer to the reality of enrolling for a tertiary qualification,” he said. 

Failed

In an interview with Tony Maseko from Mbabane, whose child failed to acquire government scholarship but received a letter of admission from LUCT, he expressed joy over the kind gesture by the university. The father of three said the institution’s scholarships could not come at a better time when everyone, one way or the other, had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the world’s economy was on its knees. 

“I am at a loss for words. My son wants to pursue a course in Events Management and after failing to acquire a government scholarship, there seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel. However, now that the tuition fees have been slashed by half, I will do everything in my power to ensure that he enrols at the university and pursues his dreams,” Maseko said. 

Gugulethu Mabaso also shared the same sentiments. She said she had been paying for her son’s fees from last year as he would be doing his second year this academic year.

“Cutting the fees by 30 per cent goes a long way, one can never ask for more. We are thankful to the institution for finding it fit to meet us halfway, especially in the COVID-19 era. We are forever grateful,” she said. 

Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Training Bertram Stewart said nothing had been formally communicated to them on the slashed tuition fees hence he declined to comment. 

Broke

The University of Eswatini (UNESWA), which made headlines in local publications recently for being finacially challenged and downgrading to junk status, also has, in its regulations, a fees payment plan that seeks to give parents/guardians whose children are self-sponsored, some form of relief in that they can pay the fees in extended instalments.

UNESWA Registrar Dr Salebona Simelane said they were pretty flexible in that regard. 

“We offer 40 per cent of the overall tuition fee upon the registration and after two or three months, parents can then pay the other instalment and the payment unfolds in that pattern,” he said. 

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: