High school students learning camp

A total of 540 top performing Grade 11 students selected from several Gauteng schools will be spending one week of their winter holidays at the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) Thuthuka Development Camps.

The purpose of the school holiday camps will be to assist students improve their mathematics, financial literacy, accounting, English and science knowledge. The aim is to help improve the country’s poor high school pass rates among high school learners.

Camp organisers believe that with proficiency in subjects such mathematics and science far below international standards, it is essential that parents, teachers, school governing bodies, government and the private sector do everything in their power to address the quality of passes high school learners achieve in these subjects. The joint programme is a partnership between the Department of Basic Education, SAICA and the annual Thuthuka Development Camps.

“Established in 2005, the Thuthuka Development Camps were created to help overcome barriers to transformation within the accountancy profession. The success of these camps has enabled us to highlight our role in assisting and improving the educational standards of disadvantaged learners in South Africa,’ explains Gugu Makhanya, SAICA’s senior executive for transformation and growth.

Run provincially to help motivate learners and develop key skills identified as underdeveloped in African learners (including soft skills, numeracy, study skills and examination techniques), each camp consists of a five- to seven-day workshop where learners are given additional support in mathematics, communication, science, accounting, career guidance and life skills subjects.

Led by camp leaders who previously attended the camp and/or are volunteering as their way of giving back to their community, learners are exposed to lessons and motivational talks by teachers as well as representatives from universities, institutions such as the Financial Services Board and spokespeople from various professions.

At the camps, learners also take part in mock exams that help them prepare for their matric exams. The results from these are celebrated at each camp’s award ceremony, where the achievements of the top mathematics, science and accounting learners are revealed to the local business, government and community stakeholders invited to attend the event.

This year, Gauteng’s Thuthuka Development Camp take place at:

• the Prestige College in Hammanskraal between 25 June and 2 July 2016

• The Venue Country Hotel in Hartbeespoort between 23 and 26 September 2016

• The Prestige College in Hammanskraal between 1 and 8 October 2016.