About Us
Background
The inception of the Innibos Meridian Karino Educational Trust was motivated by the Starehe Boys College story. Founded in 1959 by the late Dr. Geoffrey Griffin and two co- founders, the late Geoffrey Geturo and the late Joseph Gikubu, Starehe is a charitable institution which provides care and education for boys in need. (Please read the Starehe story at http://www.stareheboyscentre.ac.ke/sbc/).
The purpose of this project is the development of an educational trust which will provide funding for talented but disadvantaged learners to attend Meridian Karino (or any other school meeting the criteria) from Grade 7 to Grade 12 to develop their various talents maximally.
A pilot program with nine bursary holders is currently running at Meridian Karino Independent School. The program consists of six learners, sponsored by the Citrus Academy and citrus farmers in the Hoedspruit area, two learners sponsored by local businesses and one learner jointly sponsored by Curro and the Sabie community.
What will the bursary include?
- School fees and uniforms, a tablet, school bags, school necessities, toiletries, bedding and towels for the hostel.
- Hostel accommodation to provide opportunities for continuous remedial, catch up and enrichment programmes and to create an environment conducive for the development of academic and personal excellence.
- Eye -, hearing - and educational physiological screening of all beneficiaries to identify any problems which could hamper individual peak performance.
Who will qualify for a bursary?
Beneficiaries will be talented disadvantaged learners, (majority African), primarily from the Greater Mbombela Municipal Area.
How and by whom will the bursaries be managed?
The Innibos Meridian Karino Trust was initiated by a group of leaders in the Nelspruit community together with the Innibos National Arts Festival and Meridian Karino Independent School, which is part of Curro Holdings. The patron of the trust is the Innibos National Arts Festival board of directors. The trust is currently being managed by the following trustees with Carien Taute as Project Manager:-
Sandra Jacobs Marketing and Media Manage Innibos National Arts Festival
Kerneels Kruger Well-known business owner in Nelspruit
Carien Taute Project Manager at Buzz Projects and Coaching
Henri Pieters from Stabilis Incorporated Chartered Accountants will be responsible for all fiduciary matters.
Although the Innibos National Arts Festival is a Section 21 company with its main purpose the provision of a platform for the enjoyment and development of the arts, as patron of the trust, they further aim to provide the opportunity for educational excellence for disadvantaged, talented learners.
What bursary options will be available?
- Academic with Nelspruit, Meridian and other businesses – top academic and/achievers;
- Academic with Citrus Academy – will have to take Agricultural Science and participate in the Citrus Academy Secondary programme;
- As prescribed by educational funds;
- Cultural with Innibos Festival – top cultural achievers;
- Any other as requested by sponsors.
How will learners qualify and which criteria will apply?
- Learners will be selected after the second term in Grade 7 based on their academic results and results in the Meridian Karino (for 2016, to be confirmed for future) admission examination;
- Total household income of applicants’ parents or caretakers must be less than R10 000.00 per month;
- Learners to benefit from Citrus Academy bursaries must have links with the Citrus Industry and will attend Meridian Karino;
- Learners to benefit from Nelspruit business bursaries must come from the Greater Mbombela Municipality;
- Qualifying learners will be put on a preparation programme by Meridian Karino (for 2016, to be confirmed for future). Learners will have an opportunity to improve and reach certain goals during the third term of their Grade 7 year. The final selection will be made during October of the learner’s Grade 7 year. Through this process commitment, motivation and perseverance will be assessed. These factors are crucial for success and were often ignored in previous programmes providing these type of opportunities;
- Performance in English and Mathematics will be one of the most important criteria in all bursaries.
What is excluded from the bursary?
- Funding for tertiary education, although this may be reconsidered at a later stage
