KwaZulu-Natal Departments of Education and Provincial Treasury in partnership with Financial Practitioners Development Trust, today joined forces to host the finals of the 2012 Grade 11 Provincial Speech Contest at uMfolozi FET College, eSikhawini.
Twelve Grade 11 learners from all 12 twelve districts competed for the top prize during the contest hosted under the banner of the KwaZulu-Natal Financial Literacy Association, with Mondli Ngwenya of Ferrum High School from Amajuba District taking the top prize of a sponsorship for a bursary for an undergraduate degree as well as that of a post-graduate degree in financial management in a University of his choice.
The contest, the 16th of its kind and targeted at in-school youth, sees learners do battle from school, ward, circuit and district levels, and only the district winners fight it out at the provincial level with the winner walking away with a bursary, laptop, trophy, certificate, among other things.
The objectives of the contest are to inculcate a culture of wise spending among the learners.
CEO of Financial Services Board, Dube Tshidi, said the contest is sending a message to all of us to be financially literate.
“What the government of KwaZulu-Natal has done makes it number one in terms of ensuring that people know how to manage their money. What the learners are participating in is certainly going to make them better financial managers,” he said.
Addressing the audience, the Mayor of UThungulu District Municipality, Cllr Thembeka Mchunu, said the speech contest is a critical building block for learners to being better financial stewards.
“I encourage learners to not shy away from maths and science because these subjects are key in unlocking the financial challenges that might face our society in future,” said Mchunu.
The Champion of the KwaZulu-Natal Financial Literacy Association and MEC for Finance, Ina Cronjé, said it is always better to teach people financial literacy while still young.
“This is one of the most important campaigns in this province that instills a culture of good financial management to the learners. We also want to ensure that the financial literacy messages are incorporated into the curriculum so that this can further shape the minds of our learners to be better financial planners and managers,” she said.
Prizes for all twelve finalists include laptops, certificates, TVs and DVDs for school winners, among others sponsored by partners that include PC Training and Business College, Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa, Inseta, Department of Education, First National Bank, Financial Services Board and Postbank.
For more information please contact:
Musa Cebisa
Cell: 071 687 8777
