About Us

The Summit Educational Trust was born out of the NEST (new era schools trust).

Apply For A Bursary

To see if you qualify please complete the initial bursary application form.

How it works

A step-by-step explanation of the process

Having Problems?

Use the Contact Support form.

Summit Educational Trust (SET) will no longer (from the 2023 academic year) be directly receiving or evaluating applications for bursaries. Applicants should apply either at ADvTECH (for those attending ADvTECH  institutions or at Feenix (for those studying at state universities).  

Applicants at ADvTECH institutions are to apply directly at their school/ institution.

Applicants at state universities are to apply via the Feenix platform. Click here to go to Feenix 

slide791Who are we?

In early 1980 a group of enlightened educationalists and visionaries (led by Dr Deanne Yates and Mr Steyn Krige pictured opposite) identified the urgent need to provide quality secondary education for the black children in South Africa. This vision was translated into the formation of the New Era Schools Trust (NEST) on 6 April 1981.

The objective of the Trust was to establish quality schools, which were not aligned to any one faith and where children of both genders and all racial groups could study and live together as boarders.  The “New Era” was in anticipation of a democratic, non-racial South Africa.

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Three schools were established.  One each in Kwazulu Natal, Western Cape and Gauteng.  The school in Gauteng was north of Fourways and opened in 1989 as Phuthing College.  Its formation was generously supported by Johannesburg Consolidated Investments and Barloworld.

slide790We believe that the schools not only made a difference in affording learners of colour a quality education in the apartheid era, but also made a small but positive contribution to transforming our society by actively promoting a culture of acceptance and tolerance of others.