Two Free State learners have qualified for bursaries towards becoming chartered accountants after clinching the top spots in the recent Pastel Thuthuka Accountancy Olympiad.
Richard Yang, of Brebner High School, and Tholoana Maketha, of Navalsig High School, came first and second respectively and are eligible for bursaries pending their final matriculation results.
The Accountancy Olympiad is a joint initiative by Softline Pastel and the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), through SAICA’s flagship Thuthuka Educational Upliftment Project. The initiative aims aims to accelarate transformation in the accountancy sector by unearthing budding accountancy talent from, and provide financial support to, learners in previously disadvantaged areas. The competition is restricted to a few schools in the Free State – an area that does not often receive the benefit of corporate sponsorship.
Joanne van der Walt, Softline Pastel marketing manager, congratulated the Bloemfontein youngsters on their outstanding achievement, adding: “Pastel is pleased to be associated with this transformation initiative. It presents a great opportunity for Pastel to contribute towards growing the number of black chartered accountants in South Africa.”
In addition to producing the 2008 Olympiad’s top performer, Brebner High School accounted for six of the first 14, including Ofentse Seate, a grade 11 learner who placed third overall – a feat that has won for the school four desktop computers and Pastel software.
“One of the project’s objectives is to unearth the nation’s potential accountancy talent and provide support to previously disadvantaged learners to study towards a career as a Chartered Accountant,” says Tonia Jackson, SAICA Project Director for Transformation and Growth. “A cornerstone SAICA strategy is to transform its membership demographics to reflect the population demographics of the country – a goal shared by Softline Pastel.”
Jackson has congratulated Brebner High School’s educators for having played so significant a role in producing so many top students.
Since its inception in 2006, the Olympiad has reached more than 2 500 learners, many of them from 60 schools within the five Free State districts.
Schools that participate in the Accountancy Olympiad are selected by their respective district officials in the Department of Education. The top 15 accounting students from each school are then invited to take part in the Olympiad.
This year, a total of 722 learners from 55 schools participated compared with 45 schools in 2007.
Softline Pastel will target 900 learners in 2009. “Our ultimate aim is to grow business leadership through the accountancy profession, thereby contributing toward the long-term prosperity of the South African economy,” says van der Walt.