Eighteen deserving youngsters from Ekurhuleni will this year get the opportunity to start following their dreams of obtaining tertiary educations thanks to receiving all-expenses paid scholarships, valued at over R170 000 each, from either the Peermont Education Trust (PET) or the Peermont Community Benefit Trust (PCBT), two community social investment initiatives of Emperors Palace.
After a stringent selection and interview process 12 candidates were selected for the PET bursary “Class of 2024”, while five applicants will receive funding from the PCBT this year.
In addition, a member of the “Class of 2023”, Kwa-Thema resident Mandla Phantsi, has had his scholarship extended which will enable him to tackle his fourth and final year BSc Civil Engineering degree studies at the University of Johannesburg, without any financial worries.
Phantsi has been a bursary recipient of the PET since he started his studies in 2020. Much to the delight of Phantsi and the new recipients they received their scholarship letters and education packs when they attended an induction function at the Palace of Dreams on February 17.
Among the new inductees is Brakpan’s Percy Sambo who obtained five distinctions in his final school exams at Dalpark Secondary School and will use his bursary to study a diploma in accountancy at the University of Johannesburg this year.
Apart from having their tuition and accommodation expenses covered, getting their books and a laptop, the trust also provides a comprehensive mentorship programme for scholarship recipients to enable them to cope and develop new skills during their time at university.
The programme covers study skills, emotional intelligence and employability. Monthly mentorship meetings are also held with the students to ensure that they receive the much-needed socio-psychological support required to increase their chances of graduating.
Testament to the latter is the fact that the PET, under the umbrella of Emperors Palace, can look back in the resort and casino’s 25-year history and know that it has changed the immediate lives of over 150 bursary recipients who have gone on to graduate in various fields from chartered accounting to mechanical engineering and have been in a position to be gainfully employed or started their own businesses.
