Investing in developing countries through higher education scholarships to drive social transformation

Education plays a critical role in driving social and economic transformation in society. In South Africa, Tshikululu Social Investments has been at the forefront in supporting social investors to drive transformative investments in education. Between 2023 and 2024, Tshikululu conducting a benchmarking assessment for an international law firm.

The law firm founded and is implementing a comprehensive, bespoke scholarship programme designed to support academically talented law students from developing and emerging countries in advancing their professional skills. The global scholarship programme funds over 60 students a year across 18 countries. The programme offers financial support, personal leadership training and professional mentorship, ensuring that scholars gain both the technical and soft skills they need to excel in their fields of interest, while they actively seek solutions that promote and protect human rights and drive public service. Our experience managing scholarship programmes and the findings from the benchmarking assessment presented us with valuable recommendations for social investors:

Strategy and management

- Align scholarship strategies with broader country/region development goals: Central to the sustainability and relevance of scholarship programmes is ensuring that strategies support local country or region development goals. This can be achieved through early and ongoing consultation with stakeholders from the areas targeted by the programme.

- Develop an on-the-ground presence: For international scholarships,the presence of a local team can significantly improve administration and management. This kind of local presence is key to driving local ownership, sustainable impact and long-term collaboration and partnerships.

- Provide a comprehensive scholarship programme: A comprehensive programme that includes not only financial support but also mentorship, career development and psychosocial support plays a fundamental role in increasing students’ resilience and academic performance. It also contributes to a sense of belonging, which can aid in scholar retention, and it prepares students for the world of work by developing their skills and understanding beyond a narrow field of study.

Monitoring and support

- Develop and implement a clear academic plan and pathway for each scholar: Through support from scholarship administrators and mentors, students should be guided to develop a clear academic plan highlighting their study goals, and what support they will need to lead a successful and balanced student life. This plan should be reviewed at least quarterly to monitor student progress, promote student accountability and mitigate any potential risks.Individualised academic and psychosocial support should be prioritised, especially for scholars at risk of failing any of their courses. Acknowledging the impact that personal events have on student development, tutoring programmes should be aligned to a personal development programme.

- Create structures for peer-to-peer support: Creating a peer-to-peer ‘buddy’ system affords scholars a platform to share their experiences, hold each other accountable and draw support from their fellow scholars.

- Check in regularly with scholars: Establishing a system that enables scholarship programme administrators to check in on scholars ensures scholarship programmes remain aware of academic and student life. They are then able to take proactive actions to ensure their success. Although they require more capacity and resources, one-on-one check-in sessions are usually more effective than other methods.

Partnerships and communication

- Foster sustainability and impact through partnership: Partnerships with alumni, host universities, private sector and government bodies increase the visibility of the programme, strengthen buy-in from key stakeholders, and provide external support to implementation.Seek collaborative opportunities with scholarship programmes that have similar missions; this can be achieved through networking with peers and service providers, and engaging with educational content to keep abreast of sector developments.

- Build private sector buy-in: Especially in contexts with high unemployment, it is important for scholarship programmes to consider how they will contribute to scholars’ career development. Partnering with businesses and the private sector exposes scholarship beneficiaries to the world of work and opens up opportunities for future employment and networking.

- Build student community and mentorship programmes: Cohort networking events, mentor assignments and communication channels are key to driving a healthy and successful student-life. Building student community and mentorship can help scholars navigate student life effectively – they can become integrated socially, gain access to opportunities to network and build lifelong institutional connections.

- Foster alumni engagement: Building lasting connections with scholars can lead to good will and continued support for the programme and its beneficiaries. Alumni engagement can be increased through hosting networking events, creating access to career resources, or implementing current beneficiary-alumni mentorship programmes.

A holistic and pragmatic approach is critical to the success of higher education scholarship programmes, especially in developing countries and other situations where students have limited resources and low familiarity with the higher education system and the world of work. It is essential for scholarship programmes to support students in developing the personal and professional knowledge and skills they need in order to succeed in their studies and participate in the economy. Moreover, they should be exposed to opportunities that empower them to be engaged citizens committed to using their expertise to drive social transformation.