Unilever PLC - Scholarship Education Prgramm

RNS No 9066n
UNILEVER PLC
UNILEVER NV
22nd May 1998

         UNILEVER UNVEILS NELSON MANDELA SCHOLARSHIPS
              IN #4.5 MILLION EDUCATION PROGRAMME

South African students from disadvantaged backgrounds will be
receiving scholarships to study in the United Kingdom, and to
receive work experience, as part of a #4.5 million (R36.5m)
education and training programme unveiled by Unilever in Cape
Town today (May 22).

President Nelson Mandela has given his name to the
scholarships, a corner stone of the Unilever Foundation for
Education and Development, which aims to improve the skills
and education of South Africans at all levels.

The Nelson Mandela Scholarships alone represent an investment
of #3.1 million (R25m) over the next 10 years. They reflect
Unilever's experience that placing an individual in a
different culture and in a different country accelerates
leadership development.  It is hoped that the scholarships
will contribute to the leadership potential that will guide
South Africa into the next century and beyond.

The students - to be selected in July - will be awarded full
funding to complete post-graduate studies in leading UK
universities.  Their stay in the UK will be overseen by well
regarded the Canon Collins Educational Trust for Southern
Africa.  On completion of studies, they will be offered the
opportunity of a year's employment in a relevant discipline
with a Unilever subsidiary.

At the launch of the Foundation in Cape Town today, Minister
for Education Professor Sibusiso Bengu applauded Unilever's
initiatives in the field of education and the commitment of
the Foundation's team in the selection and development of
programmes under its banner.  "Not only has Unilever made
considerable funds available through the Foundation, it has
committed senior management to the programme through personal
involvement in the different projects.  It is this shared
expertise and experience that truly adds value to this
investment."

From London, Unilever chairman Niall FitzGerald, commented:
"Support for education has been an important priority for
Unilever since its earliest days.  This Foundation is a
milestone in Unilever's commitment to education and
development.  It provides an example of best practice in
making a contribution which is long-term, forward-looking and
finely tuned to local circumstances and needs.

"It gives us great pleasure that President Nelson Mandela has
given his name to the project.  The Foundation builds on our
deep roots in South Africa, our determination to embrace new
ideas and our commitment to the highest standards of corporate
behaviour towards societies and the world in which we live,"
he said.

For the Canon Collins Educational Trust for Southern Africa,
director Ethel de Keyser said: "We are delighted to be
connected with this Unilever Foundation initiative through the
administration of the Nelson Mandela Scholarships in the
United Kingdom.  It is an impressive example of how business
can join with organisations like ours in providing much needed
educational opportunities for South Africans.  The programme
overall is certainly one of the most significant with which we
have been involved and we hope that other companies will
follow Unilever's example.  We know from our experience in
education for Southern Africans over nearly two decades that
such programmes will make an important contribution to South
Africa's transformation."

A registered trust, the Unilever Foundation for Education and
Development will administer the activities and funding of all
Unilever initiatives in this crucial area.  It will work
closely with government, business associates, customers and
partners in trade and industry.

In addition to the Nelson Mandela Scholarships, the Foundation
aims to further education by building knowledge, skills and
leadership capacity for South Africa, today and tomorrow.

The Foundation will continue Unilever's involvement at school
level with a substantial contribution in the area of the life
orientation and the life skills curriculum.  In the tertiary
programme, the Foundation  will develop a management skills
development programme targeted at the teacher training
institutions.

Extending this involvement beyond the schools system, the
Unilever Foundation will endow three Professorial Chairs at
leading South African Universities.  And, recognising the need
for small enterprise development, the Foundation will also
work closely with government and non-governmental
organisations in the SME sector to develop programmes designed
to nurture the business leaders of tomorrow.
                               
Contact:  Salli Randi, Burson Marsteller, Tel:  [phone]
          Unilever Press Office - above number
Attached: Background on Unilever Foundation and The Canon
          Collins Educational Trust for Southern Africa


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