Latest news with #bursaries
News24
27-06-2025
- Politics
- News24
Ramaphosa slams Steenhuisen; Kriel to captain Boks: Today's top 7 stories in 7 minutes
News24 brings you the top 7 stories of the day. Graphic: Sharlene Rood News24 brings you the top stories of the day, summarised into neat little packages. Read through quickly or listen to the articles via our customised text-to-speech feature. 'Blatant disregard': Ramaphosa clarifies Whitfield axing, slams Steenhuisen for 'intemperate reaction' - President Ramaphosa fired Deputy Minister Whitfield for violating rules regarding international travel without permission. - Ramaphosa expressed disappointment at DA leader Steenhuisen's 'intemperate reaction' and ultimatums following the dismissal. - Ramaphosa wants the DA to provide a replacement for Whitfield and clarified that the firing was solely due to the travel violation, not other political factors. 'CRIMINAL' INTELLIGENCE: Top cop spooks, barring one, granted bail - Six senior Crime Intelligence officers were granted bail of R10 000 each by the Pretoria Magistrate's Court. - Crime Intelligence CFO Philani Lushaba was remanded in custody due to a previous arrest. - All seven officers intend to plead not guilty to charges of fraud and corruption related to the appointment of Brigadier Dineo Mokwele. Supplied 'From happiness to despair': Top 100 matrics awarded bursaries left high and dry - About 100 Gauteng students were promised 'fully paid bursaries' by Schools Star in January but were informed in June that funding would not be provided due to budget cuts. - The Gauteng government stated that its bursary policy doesn't include provisions to fund Schools Star beneficiaries, and it is facing fiscal challenges, having only funded 3 600 students out of thousands of applicants this year. - Affected students and their families are now struggling with tuition and accommodation costs, with some facing potential dropout from their higher education institutions. Supplied/SAPS Kidnapped Kamogelo Baukudi found alive in dramatic rescue operation in Wepener - Kamogelo Baukudi, a 19-year-old kidnapped pupil, was found alive and unharmed in Wepener. - Five men aged 20 to 29 were arrested in the operation, bringing the total arrests to six. - The suspects face charges of kidnapping and extortion and will appear in court. Michael Jordaan's Bank Zero sold in R1.1bn deal - Lesaka Technologies will acquire Bank Zero for R1.1 billion in a deal involving newly issued shares and cash, giving Bank Zero shareholders a 12% stake in Lesaka. - The acquisition provides Lesaka with a banking license and digital infrastructure, enabling it to offer a full suite of banking services and fund its lending book with customer deposits. - The deal is subject to regulatory approvals and will see Michael Jordaan joining Lesaka's board, while Yatin Narsai will continue as Bank Zero's CEO. Kriel to captain Springboks against Barbarians as Kolisi withdraws - Jesse Kriel will captain the Springboks against the Barbarians in Cape Town after Siya Kolisi withdrew due to a 'niggle'. - Marco van Staden replaces Kolisi in the starting XV, while Marnus van der Merwe is a new addition to the Bok team. - The match will take place at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday at 17:10, with both teams' lineups announced.'Helping the next generation': Anna Wintour leaves US Vogue, but her reign isn't on ice just yet - Anna Wintour is stepping down as editor-in-chief of US Vogue after 37 years but will remain chief content officer for Condé Nast and global editorial director for Vogue. - Wintour aims to focus on supporting the next generation of editors and overseeing global content for Condé Nast's major media brands. - During her tenure, Wintour redefined Vogue, introducing denim jeans on the cover and featuring celebrities, marking a shift from traditional high-fashion magazine aesthetics.
Daily Mail
15-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Headmaster of 125-year-old boarding school reveals Labour tax raid has cost them £2million as it is forced to hike fees to £60,000-a-year
The headmaster of a 125-year-old boarding school has revealed that Labour 's tax raid has cost them £2million and forced them to hike their fees up to £60,000. Labour's decision to levy a 20 per cent VAT on private school fees has dealt a heavy blow to the sector, which some institutions have been unable to deal with. Keith Metcalfe, the headmaster of Malvern College, said the introduction of taxes has set the school back around £1million as a result of the increased expense of providing bursaries and more pupils leaving under crippling fee hikes. The school was hit by a further setback in April by a rise in National Insurance and the loss of business rates relief which cost the school an additional £1million. The controversial tax, pledged in Labour's manifesto, came into force in January this year. 'We are seeing schools close and hearing others that are cutting back, and it's sad to see. 'Education is one of Britain's greatest exports. There's a certain amount of soft power in high quality education that goes around the world,' Mr Metcalfe told The Telegraph. Malvern College, one of Britain's most elite schools, said this week it had no choice but to sell its prep school building and move students to the same site as the senior school. The sale will fund the renovation of old boarding houses in the senior campus for junior students to move into. Parents were told on Wednesday about the move, which is due to take place by the end of the 2026-27 academic year. The school was founded in 1865 and will increase its fees in September to £59,295-a- year for boarders and £40,245 for day pupils – a hike of 20 per cent compared with a year previous. But the headmaster said this investment was a 'strategic' risk at a time when other prep schools are closing. Mr Metcalfe said: 'You can see in our region prep schools have got smaller. There have been examples of some closing. This is therefore an opportunity for us, rather than cutting back costs to save money, we can invest in the school by bringing them over here and we all benefit from that.' Since January, 25 schools unable to cope with the raid have announced closure. The £43,000-a-year boarding school Queen Margaret's School For Girls in York has become the latest to announce its closure, saying they are 'unable to withstand mounting financial pressure' following the introduction of VAT on fees. It precedes a devastating blow to families after they lost a High Court challenge to the taxes on fees. The judicial review claim, heard earlier this year, aimed to have the tax declared 'incompatible' with human rights law. However, in a decision handed down on Friday, judges rejected all claims, despite agreeing with some of the arguments.
Times
16-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Billionaire to open maths school for the most talented children
One of Britain's biggest taxpayers is opening the country's first specialist secondary school for exceptionally talented young mathematicians. Alex Gerko, a Russian-born billionaire, has already spent millions of pounds trying to improve numeracy in this country. He is now launching a 'needs blind' private school, offering bursaries to those who cannot afford the fees, which is due to open in September next year in north London. It will be called 1729 Maths School because of the number's significance in maths as the smallest sum of two cubes expressed in different ways (it is known as the Hardy-Ramanujan or 'taxicab' number). Gerko, the founder of XTX Markets, went to a specialist maths school in Moscow from the age of 12 and wants British children to
