World News: South Africa Offers Scholarships Only for 'Virgins'
A university in Ladysmith, South Africa is offering free schooling for ladies, but unfortunately, the scholarships are only available to those who are virgins or what the system refers to as "maidens."
According to CNN, the uThukela municipality, one of 11 districts in KwaZulu-Natal province, is helping girls who can't afford higher education to get the diploma they are dreaming of through a scholarship program. However, the scholarship program requires ladies to remain a virgin as they have to undergo virginity testing every vacation. Apparently, anyone who fails the test will lose the chance to continue college.
Called the "Maiden's Bursary Award," the program has now received criticism from various rights groups in the region. Javu Bayoli from the Commission on Gender Equality said, "The scholarship promotes stereotypes — that you only get a bursary because you are a virgin, not based on your capabilities." Bayoli added that there are definitely other means to get the kind of education that the program offers.
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To give the rights groups a taste of the system uThukela Mayor Dudu Mazibuko shared her story, saying the program is helping avoid teen pregnancies — something she shares the experience with as she got pregnant in high school.
Recent statistics reveal that the province has the highest rate of teenage births in South Africa, which is probably one of the reasons why Mazibuko is standing her ground on the bursaries.
Thube, one of the ladies who obtained the bursary, is also standing by her decision to remain a virgin as she thrives to reach her educational goals. "I don't have children. I am 18 years old, I must study hard to change and conquer the world. You only have one chance to be a maiden. This is my choice," she explained.
Aside from teen pregnancies, uThukela is also suffering from high rates of HIV/AIDS. It has also been recorded that about half of pregnant women have contracted the disease, prompting the government to do something about the seemingly uncontrollable situation.
However, the program, as well as other efforts to minimize the spread of HIV infection, have done little to keep women from contracting the disease.
