Jakes Gerwel Fellowship

About the Jakes Gerwel Fellowship

The Jakes Gerwel Fellowship is a South African programme that develops young people who want to become teachers. It carries the name of the late Professor Jakes Gerwel, a respected South African academic and public servant. The fellowship is funded by the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation, according to its own application information.

Its aim is to bring talented young South Africans into the teaching profession, and to support them with mentoring and leadership development as well as money for study.

How the fellowship supports students

The fellowship offers a full university scholarship. Learners who are in Grade 12 or in their first year of study can enter through the undergraduate intake, and final-year students can enter through the PGCE intake. The undergraduate degree takes place at the University of Cape Town or the University of Pretoria, and the PGCE can be done at one of five universities, namely UCT, UP, Wits, UJ or UWC.

Beyond tuition, fellows receive mentoring and a leadership development programme. That support is a large part of what makes the fellowship different from an ordinary bursary. You can read the details on our Jakes Gerwel Fellowship page.

What to know before applying

Applicants must be South African citizens or permanent residents. The fellowship's information says that undergraduate applicants should be under 23, that PGCE applicants should be under 30, and that Grade 12 applicants need an average of at least 65% for Grade 11, not counting Life Orientation. Check the fellowship's page in case these figures change.

The first step is an online eligibility quiz. If the quiz shows that you qualify, you move on to the next stage of the application. Candidates who someone else nominated must still complete the quiz. The fellowship's contact details are the email address info@jgfellowship.org and a WhatsApp number that it publishes on its application page.

We found no confirmed closing date for the next intake. Some third-party sites say applications usually close around the end of July, but others say the date has not been announced. Check the fellowship's website before you plan.

The fellowship expects its members to teach, so ask yourself honestly whether you want that career before you apply. A strong application explains why you care about education in your own community.

If you are not sure that teaching is for you, spend a day in a school before you start the quiz. Talk to a teacher about the work, and ask a younger learner what a good lesson looks like. This helps you decide, and it gives you honest material for the later parts of the application.