Department Of the Premier Diverts Women's Month Events Funds To Bursaries For Girls | Western Cape Government

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Department Of the Premier Diverts Women's Month Events Funds To Bursaries For Girls

12 August 2009

Statement by Helen Zille

The Department of the Premier in the Western Cape Provincial Government has decided to cancel all of its Women's Month events for 2009 and instead use the funds for bursaries for girl primary school learners.

When our new government came to office, we found plans and budgets for two big jamboree and talk-shop events (one of which was to be held in the Cape Sun Hotel) that would have cost hundreds of thousands of rands.

We decided that it would serve gender empowerment better by cancelling these events, and allocating the money to four bursaries for girl learners in primary schools.

As a result, R320 000 of the funds saved will be divided into four bursaries of R80 000 each, to pay for the schooling of four girl learners (covering their costs for Grades 3, 4, 5 and 6) from financially disadvantaged families who are achieving good results.

The schools where the learners will be chosen are going to be selected from across the Province, on the basis of set criteria. Individual beneficiaries will then be selected within each school (with need and achievements being the most important criteria).

In this way, we will aim to make our department's Women's Month budgets provide lasting benefit, in the form of basic skills development for girls.

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