Students Motivated to Pursue an Accounting Career at Maths Development Camp

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The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) in partnership with the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) recently hosted the KwaZulu-Natal SAICA Mathematics Development Camp at the University’s Pietermaritzburg campus.

The camp, which focused on mathematics intervention and career guidance regarding scarce and critical skills, housed 282 Grade 12 learners from 71 schools.

Addressing the students in his welcome speech was School of Accounting, Economics and Finance (SAEF) lecturer Mr Yoshin Chetty, who shared his own personal challenges and obstacles in life and encouraged students to follow their dreams.

‘It’s not that your current circumstances are a limiting factor, as some want you to believe. You are bigger than that, there is no limit to what you want to achieve. The limits people place on you and the limits you place on yourself are imaginary. What you put your mind to can and will happen if you are willing to put in the work. Love what you do so you can do what you love,’ he said.

SAICA’s Transformation and Growth Project Manager, Mr Lethukuthula Mkhize said the camp’s primary aim was to assist and identify learners who were interested in pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting qualification and other scarce qualifications in the field of Accountancy.

‘SAICA conducts these camps in order to serve two critical strategic objectives: 1. Mathematics intervention for those who desire to access institutions of higher learning that require Mathematics as one of the subject requirements to enter into the course and 2. The camps are a strategic and tactical vehicle whereby we can identify a pool of learners who have an interest in scarce and critical skill professions such as Chartered Accountancy. We are able to identify these learners and provide a clear and coherent career guidance towards these professions,’ he said.

‘Mathematics is a critical subject and is one of the subjects that is lowly passed by learners. By providing intervention methods and techniques through our camps, we believe that we are assisting the Department of Education in improving its results, helping learners have greater potential at gaining access into institutions of higher learning,’ he added.

While the programme focused on the teaching and learning aspect, the pupils did however participate in social activities such as indoor games, sport nights, photo sessions and presentations from other institutions of higher learning such as Mangosuthu University of Technology, the University of Zululand, the University of the Western Cape and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

The programme concluded with a gala dinner and awards evening where the pupils were addressed by the SAEF Acting Dean and Head of School Professor Mabutho Sibanda and Departmental officials such as the: Department of Education Provincial Co-ordinator-Career Guidance and Counselling Ms Cornelia Mcunu; Deputy Head: Departmental Accounting (Trading Services) at eThekwini Municipality, Ms Xoliswa Hlongwane CA (SA); and Head of Ministry at the Department of Economic Development and Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Mr Kwazi Mshengu.

Words by: Sibonelo Shinga