CDF Student Scholarships / Bursaries

What you need to know about the; How you can access them.

The new dawn government has revamped the CDF in order to bring about development in local communities through improved delivery of public goods and services. This means that the members of parliament and their people have the chance to make choices and carry out projects to improve their own lives in that constituency.  

What is interesting is that there is an amount set apart for bursaries for secondary boarding schools and for skills development at TEVET institutions. 

Skills Programs covered: 

The skills programs covered by the CDF bursaries include the following:-

  • Tailoring and Design,
  • Sheet and Metal Fabrication,
  • General Agriculture,
  • Carpentry and Joinery,
  • Plastering and Bricklaying,
  • Mechanical Technology,
  • Electrical Technology,
  • Automotive Technology,
  • Refrigeration and Air conditioning,
  • Heavy Equipment and much more.

The duration of study for these courses is dependent the qualification level as follows; 1 year for Trade-test level, 2 years for certificate, 2 year 6 months for Advanced certificate and 3 years for diploma. 

What Programs are not covered

CDF bursary does not cover programs such as medicine or any other degree program like mechanical engineering or law. Such courses are catered for under the student loans scheme offered by the higher education loans and scholarships board (HELSB) and under the TEVET bursary scheme offered by the Ministry of Technology and Science..  

Applying for CDF Student Loans

Every year, the CDF committee of each constituency together with some local authorities invite people to apply for these CDF bursaries. These applications are put into action in the following year. Advertising for these applications is on different media platforms but you can check here on Career Path Zambia so you can promptly apply when they are available. 

Eligibility   

To be eligible you must:   

  1. Be a Zambian citizen with a green NRC, who stays in the constituency where you are applying for the CDF bursary 
  1. Have stayed in the constituency for more than 6 (six) months 
  1. Have an acceptance or admission letter from any of the public TEVET schools or the Zambia National Service (ZNS) 
  1. Be aged between 16 and 35 years 
  1. In some cases, be an entrepreneur out of school that needs improving your skill or redoing your skill 

The application procedure is simple and straightforward. First you need a bursary application form that you can get for free from local authorities like the council, TEVET offices or from the local authority websites e.g., a city council website. Then the application form can be filled out by typing or in a clear handwriting. The filled-in application form should be signed by the ward development committee (WDC) chairperson. 

There are a few documents that should be submitted together with your application form for the bursary. Among these should be an acceptance or admission letter from any TEVETA accredited institution or ZNS, and a photocopy of your NRC.  You can also attach some supportive documents that can give you more chances of being given the bursary such as; 

  1. Disability card or letter from the hospital that shows that you are disabled  
  1. Recommendation letters from the church/chief/headman/head teacher of your previous school 
  1. Full grade 12 school certificate or GCE with 5 (five) O-levels or a grade 9 or 7 certificate. 

You should know that even if you dropped out of school for any reason or have never been to school at all, you will be considered for these bursaries. Also, persons living with disability are prioritised.   

Once you have prepared all the necessary and supporting documents, you can then submit your application to the WDC’s office. The offices of the WDC are in each ward and so you must ask around if you don’t know where they are or better still, you can ask at the civic centre or from your ward councillor to direct you. The WDC then submits a list of names of all those who applied to the CDF committee who then choose which applicants are successful. The CDF committee then submits this final list of successful candidates to the local authority for processing of payments after the approval from the minister of local government and rural development.   

CDF bursaries are usually awarded as 100% bursaries. This means that the funds are paid in full to the institution and you don’t have to pay anything. Also, there are some allowances that are given for day-to-day expenses such as meals and books while at school. Just like any other bursary, your application may not be successful, but it is possible for it to go through if you tried to apply in the following year. Also, your bursary can be taken away for reasons such as failing in the courses you apply for or general bad behaviour at the institution. Therefore, seriousness with schoolwork and good behaviour are very important.