There has been a marked increased in the number of schools and learners participating in this year’s National Accounting Olympiad due to a growing interest in the Accountancy Profession as well as massive awareness drive initiated by the South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA), says Zobuzwe Ngobese, Marketing and Business Development Executive at SAIPA.
 
“The increase from 310 to 390 schools and 3510 to 7069 learners is quite encouraging and is also due to the fact that in 2017 we introduced the Olympiad to grade 11 for the first time. Next year we want to reach even more schools to make the subject of accounting popular again because our economy needs more accountants in order to grow,” he says.
 
The top four Grade 12 learners nationally, in no specific order, are Adam Melnick from Yeshiva College in Gauteng, Juanè Cronjè from Die Hoërskool DF Malan in the Western Cape, Philip Visagè from Hugenote High School also in the Western Cape and Sara Saleh of Lenasia Muslim School in Gauteng.
 
Gauteng had the most schools participating in the Olympiad, accounting for 145 of the 390 schools that took part.
 
SAIPA has this year opened the competition to Grade 11 pupils for the first time since the inception of the competition in 2002, with the top five national candidates in this division, in no specific order, being Alet Muller from Hoër Meisieskool Bloemhof in the Western Cape, Deandre De Meyer of Stellenberg High School located in the Western Cape, Felicia Makondo of EPP Mhinga Secondary School in Limpopo, Nabeel Fazluddin from King Edward VII School in Gauteng and Sean Scorer from Amanzimtoti High School          in KwaZulu-Natal.
 
On October 10th, SAIPA will be announcing the Grade 11 and Grade 12 winners at a Gala Awards evening in Johannesburg.
 
Broadening the scope
In addition to including Grade 11 pupils in the competition, SAIPA has also partnered with Gauteng with Future Forward, which specialises in developing youth orientated intervention programs. The institute’s regional administrators have this year purposefully targeted additional schools in their areas.
 
The aim with the Olympiad, which is open to pupils studying Accountancy or Mathematics in private and public schools, is to make Accounting a subject of choice for learners and to expose them as early as possible to the Accountancy profession, says Ngobese.
 
Performance indicators
The competition is divided into two rounds and Grade 11 pupils had to achieve a score of 60% or more to advance to the second round and Grade 12 pupils had to score 65% or more to qualify for writing the second paper.
 
Out of the 1 750 learners in Grade 11, 255 progressed to the second round and 1 095 out of 5 319 in Grade 12 went on to write the second paper. The overall result for the 5 319 learners in Grade 12 shows that the majority – 2 495 learners - scored 40% or more.
 
In the case of Grade 11 pupils, only 14.5% of the 1 750 pupils scored 60% or more in the final round. The majority – 955 pupils – scored 40% or more.
 
The top performers will receive a bursary, valued between R10 000 and R25 000, which is paid to the tertiary institution of their choice.
 
“This year the bursary is subject to the recipients pursuing studies in the Accountancy profession. The main aim with the competition is to grow the numbers in the profession,” remarks Ngobese.
 
Maintaining high standards
Ngobese says both papers in the competition have been moderated. “They are challenging, but doable,” he says, adding that the results of the Grade 11 pupils are a reflection of the fact that this is the first time they have been exposed to the competition.
 
“We are confident that the results will improve. The Grade 12 pupils have had access to a study guide, compiled by SAIPA, with past examination papers. The Grade 11 pupils will have access to that in the Olympiads going forward.”
 
Ngobese notes that part of SAIPA’s future strategy is to open the Olympiad to pupils from Grade 10 to Grade 12. He says in many instances pupils have already made their career decisions when they reach their final school year.
 
“If we can expose pupils as early as possible to Accountancy as a profession the more likely it is that they will choose it as their career path.”
 
Accounting is a critical skill and with the threat of Mathematics no longer being compulsory at high school, the numbers may start dwindling, says Ngobese.

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za  
 
For more information on SAIPA please visit:
Website: www.saipa.co.za
Twitter: @SAIPAcomms
LinkedIn: South African institute of Professional Accountants Company
Facebook: South African Institute of Professional Accountants

Author: Zobuzwe Ngobese, Marketing & Communications Executive,
South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA)
 
The growth of a country, and an organisation, not only hinges on strategic goals and long-term vision, but on the youth that will one day populate its halls.  The South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA) recognises the importance of investing in the next generation of accountants and has launched a new student membership platform to support students as they move through university and into careers as professional accountants.
 
To ensure growth and sustainability, it is important to think about the future pipeline and engage with up and coming accountants while they are still at university. Our student membership has been designed to introduce students to the profession so they can grow to understand the landscape, be exposed to what happens in the profession and, most importantly, not have to wait until they qualify to experience the benefits of belonging to a professional body.
 
SAIPA’s student membership has been structured with student needs and limitations in mind. As many are not earning their own income or salary, the fee has been made extremely accessible at only R100 per year. It allows them a full range of membership benefits alongside additional value-added partnerships which have been included specifically for the student market.
 
It is a significant difference in price from the full membership fee paid by a qualified Professional Accountant (SA) which is R5,000 per annum, while still adding immense value to their personal and professional development.
 
The right exposure
Students taking advantage of the SAIPA student membership will be exposed to accounting firms that are looking for trainees, giving them opportunities for networking that would have been previously unavailable to them. Many professional members are accountants in practice and often look for article clerks or trainees to do articles, providing students with a chance to flex their skills and grow their portfolios. To become a Professional Accountant (SA), candidates first have to complete a Bachelor of Commerce degree, or equivalent, followed by three years of articles and then they have to write and pass the Professional Evaluation examination.
 
Our student membership also allows students to attend some of our prestigious events, such as the annual SAIPA Budget Breakfast where experts analyse the national budget. They can go to these events for free and use them as opportunities to network and be exposed to many potential employers.
 
SAIPA student members will receive copies of the two accounting magazines that are sent to full members as part of their membership package. They outline the latest trends in the accountancy profession, from both a local and global perspective and give students some much-needed insight into the profession.  Then, to add even more value, SAIPA has engaged with various external partners and companies to round off its student offering.
 
If you are a SAIPA member, you get a discount when you purchase your prescribed Juta textbooks from selected retailers. These is just one of the partners we have on board at the moment and we are currently engaging with other organisations to add to our student membership as we move forward.
 
Leading the way
We are not aware of any other professional body that is offering student membership at this time so, as far as we are concerned, we are breaking new ground by welcoming students into our fold so early on in their careers. It is a hugely progressive step that will ensure our profession grows sustainably by encouraging students to expand their skills and networks.
 
To introduce students to the SAIPA offering, representatives of the organisation will be visiting various campuses around the country. Those students that are interested in joining will be automatically added to the student membership database and, once they pay the R100 fee, will become members of the organisation.
 
Students interested in joining SAIPA can contact SAIPA directly to facilitate the process by emailing: studentmember@saipa.co.za
 
By introducing this student membership, we are educating students on how broad the accountancy profession can be and that becoming a chartered accountant is not the only option. Students have responded incredibly well to what we are offering and we look forward to welcoming them to our organisation.
 
ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za  
 
For more information on SAIPA please visit:
Website: www.saipa.co.za
Twitter: @SAIPAcomms
LinkedIn: South African institute of Professional Accountants Company
Facebook: South African Institute of Professional Accountants