YOUTH

ARE WE FAILING OUR YOUTH?

Young people are hungry now, and as the African proverb says: “If a child is hungry today it is pointless in promising food for tomorrow.” By ITUMELENG MOGAKI

Young people are the future of this country, and a nation that does not invest in the youth does not deserve its future. A thought-provoking opinion from Thabo Shingange, a former student representative council (SRC) president and Mandela-Rhodes scholar at the University of Pretoria. He currently serves as the national spokesperson of the South African Union of Students (SAUS) and is a member of the #COVID19 ministerial task team appointed by the minister of higher education.

TOO MUCH TALK, TOO LITTLE ACTION

Asked what is needed to infl uence public discourse around poverty alleviation, Shingange says: “South Africa is a country that likes to talk about everything. We’ve had enough talks about poverty and youth unemployment.

“We’ve held workshops, symposiums, colloquiums, imbizos, academic papers, policy propositions, and SONA debates – there’s enough literature, debate and knowledge on what the challenges are, and workable solutions that, for the most part, fall on deaf ears.”

Despite all these efforts, he says that at the centre of resolving these challenges is the absence of political will to resolve these systemic problems against the backdrop of rampant corruption, which steals away from developing the country further.

Student activist and SRC president at the University of Pretoria Thuto Mashile, says: “We have to encourage each other to listen to the solutions we present through consultative events, which are headed by young people.

“We need to convene youth from all walks of life, unite in coming with solutions to our problems right now because we are here and will be present in the near future,” she says.

Shingange says there needs to be a clear plan to drive economic growth and get rid of corruption.

“Corruption (both public and private sector) is the one vile element of our society that steals away from the young people who are the future of this country.”

He cites Unite 4 Mzansi, an initiative led by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants and business leaders, which reported that South Africa lost R1.5-trillion in the last fi ve years to corruption.

“This alone is telling of the many unresolved challenges that we’re facing as a country, including student debt, poverty, and unemployment,” says Shingange.

Mashile adds: “Our youth are frustrated, disappointed and desperate. Many people are qualifi ed yet fi nd themselves without employment, which defeats the purpose of education and acquiring qualifi cations.

“We need to take note that there’s a major skills gap in the country – this is evident in the townships where many lack the necessary skills to thrive.

“Through my position as SRC president, we are fi ghting poverty at a basic level and are dedicated to assisting vulnerable students with academic, fi nancial and health-related diffi culties,” she says.

“Nothing is inspiring about a country with a youth unemployment rate of above 70 per cent; it is debilitating and leaves thousands in a paralysed mind frame,” says Shingange.

“In short, no amount of public rhetoric from politicians will sway the mood of the country any differently, what is left now is to implement less talk, more action,” he says.

ENTREPRENEURS NEEDED

Thabo Shingange

“Young people are the future of this country, and a nation that does not invest in the youth does not deserve its future.”

– Thabo Shingange

Despite his understandable fury at the system, Shingange has some positive words. “South Africans should be equally looking to fi nd alternative ways of surviving by tapping into entrepreneurial opportunities around them while simultaneously creating small-scale employment for others. “While this may sound idealistic, given the right support and funding, which is available, such examples can go a long way in addressing issues of poverty and unemployment.” Sharing the same sentiment, Mashile says: “As vague as this solution is, we need to begin creating our own employment through starting businesses with a vision to circulate income received among ourselves. “We need to move away from training young people to be employees only and to consider going the entrepreneurial route. We need to teach them diverse ways to make their own money. “Practical skills such as farming, artisanship, and any technology-related skill is crucial for the future.” Shingange concurs: “In everything we do, we must all strive to live a life that can be remembered as helpful to humanity. From sharing skills, information, resources and opportunities, there are Thuto Mashile enough slices of cake for everyone if done right.”

DID YOU KNOW?

The South African Human Rights Commission launched a Child Friendly Complaints Handling Procedure, a child-friendly space where children can lodge complaints and learn about their constitutional rights and responsibilities.

To lodge a complaint, children should contact 011 877 3600, email complaints@sahrc.org.za, or visit any of the nine provincial offi ces of the commission.

QUALITY EDUCATION FOR FUTURE SUCCESS

The profound statement – Schooling does not always lead to learning – forms part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)’s #righttoeducation campaign. The organisation noted that, globally, an estimated 617 million children and adolescents cannot read and do maths at a basic proficiency level, although two-thirds of these learners are in school.

This, for many in the nongovernmental sector, underscores the difference between education and quality education.

An analysis of the educational landscape in South Africa gives credence to this notion.

According to the University of Cape Town Children’s Institute’s Child Gauge Report 2018, approximately 98 per cent of the country’s children have received some form of institutional education. However, such high-level attendance rates do not suggest that quality education is being imparted and educational outcomes are being met. It is difficult to forget the national-level discussions that emerged after the publication of the 2016 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study. The report highlighted that eight out of ten Grade 4 learners could not read for meaning across all languages in South Africa. The interruption of educational systems due to COVID-19 has likely exacerbated this picture.

Poor learning outcomes do not materialise in a vacuum, but are most visible in schools located in communities with lower socioeconomic groups and under-resourced schools. Therefore, there is a clear correlation between poverty and lack of quality education. This is not to disregard those many learners who, by sheer determination and commitment, rise above the difficult socioeconomic conditions they face daily and perform exceptionally well. But for every one of these learners, there are many more who fall through the educational cracks. It must also not be forgotten that the provision of education is not a favour, but a right. Governments have a constitutional

The right to quality education is essential for the realisation of all other human rights, including those associated with eliminating hunger, accessing decent work and achieving gender equality. By ONYI NWANERI, CEO Afrika Tikkun Services

Onyi Nwaneri

responsibility to ensure that legislation, strategies and programmes are in place to assist all learners to reach their potential.

THE CASE FOR QUALITY EDUCATION

The Right to Education is recognised as a fundamental human right enshrined in several global, regional and national frameworks. From the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to South Africa’s own Bill of Rights, there is little doubt about the importance of education. Still, the notion of quality education is not clearly spelt out in these frameworks, allowing a certain degree of vagueness and subjectivity to inform the design of curriculum and intervention programmes.

EDUCATION IS A KEY INGREDIENT FOR A FAIRER AND MORE EGALITARIAN SOCIETY, A VEHICLE THROUGH WHICH ALL PERSONS, PARTICULARLY THOSE MARGINALISED BY CURRENT AND INHERITED STRUCTURAL CHALLENGES, CAN CHANGE THE STATUS QUO.

It is with some relief then that the Sustainable Development Goal 4, to which the international community including South Africa subscribes, speaks directly to quality education and the aim “to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. It sends a clear message that education is a key ingredient for a fairer and more egalitarian society, a vehicle through which all persons, particularly those marginalised by current and inherited structural challenges, can change the status quo.

As a result of quality education, individuals of all abilities can develop the self-awareness, skills and confidence that allow them to contribute to their communities and society positively. Such fully rounded human beings then have a thirst for continuous learning and a drive that propels them towards making the most of employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.

However, to facilitate and realise quality education, a much more holistic view of education must become the norm. Issues of poor infrastructure, capacities of educators, parental involvement, transport, access to nutrition, and exposure to life outside and beyond the school community must be pillars on which a strategy is based and a plan implemented.

As we slowly emerge from a pandemic that has placed the spotlight squarely on inequities in our education system, we must triple our commitment to protect and fulfil quality education as a central socioeconomic right that provides the foundation for lifelong learning and economic opportunities.”

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Benefi ciaries of Thuthuka’s University of KwaZulu-Natal HDI accreditation programme celebrate their graduation.

THUTHUKA:

INSPIRING SUCCESS AND CHANGING LIVES

SAICA launched its fi rst transformation project in the Eastern Cape in 2002 under the banner of Thuthuka. It has since gone national to provide quality educational support for those wanting to enter the accounting profession

CHANGING LIVES, TRANSFORMING A PROFESSION

Twenty years on, over 7 500 African and over 2 000 coloured CAs(SA) are now practising as CAs(SA).

But the true impact of the combined efforts of Thuthuka’s transformation initiatives is best represented by looking at how the CAs(SA) under the age of 35 membership base has changed since Thuthuka began. According to SAICA’s latest statistics, of the 16 521 CAs(SA) under the age of 35, 4 393 are African and 1 013 are coloured. This represents 33 per cent of the total membership population under 35.

This year marks 20 years since the chartered accountancy profession reinvented its earnest efforts to ensure that its membership base was more inclusive and representative of the country’s demographics. In celebration of what South Africa’s then-deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe called “the most successful transformation and skills development programme in South Africa”, we look back at the journey and milestones achieved by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants’ (SAICA) Thuthuka programme.

FOCUS ON TRANSFORMATION BEGINS

Although SAICA’s transformation efforts were kicked into gear in the early 2000s when Thuthuka was born, talks about how to reach its transformation efforts began much earlier. This is where our story starts.

As Rex Gibson reveals in Figure That!, a book that outlines the rich history of the chartered accountancy profession in South Africa, the profession’s transformation efforts began in the 1980s at a time when the country stood poised on the brink of impending civil war.

Leading SAICA at the time was executive director Kenneth Gordon Mockler. It was he who put SAICA’s transformation agenda on the map when he articulated SAICA’s three-part objective to “encourage collegiality; involve all societies in the institute; [and] maintain exceptional standards”. The fi rst and third objectives were relatively easy.

Opening up the profession to all races, however, was a different story. With the fi rst black CA(SA) Professor Wiseman Nkuhlu only achieving the designation in 1977, SAICA’s track record in this area was virtually nonexistent.

The conundrum of how to open up the profession given the defi ciencies of the apartheid years’ education system and its long-term effects on South Africa’s skills and employment cannot be underestimated. The state of education in the institutions black people were allowed to attend was vastly inferior to the education on offer to their white counterparts.

This discrepancy convinced SAICA of the need to create a solution. Knowing that it takes seven to ten years to produce a fully qualifi ed

University of Zululand students celebrate their graduation, thanks to the Thuthuka HDI accreditation programme.

THE GAINS THE CHARTERED ACCOUNTANCY PROFESSION HAS MADE IN ITS TRANSFORMATION EFFORTS SINCE THE DAY THUTHUKA STARTED SHOULD BE LAUDED.

CA(SA) after Grade 12 meant that the solution also had to be long-term, sustainable and high-volume.

THE PROFESSION TAKES THE FIRST STEPS …

Having recognised the need to open the doors to more black and female CAs(SA), SAICA established a committee to champion this.

Then came the fi rst watershed moment.

In 1987, SAICA, together with the then Public Accountants and Auditors Board (now the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors), and the Association for the Advancement of Black Accountants (ABASA), established the Eden Trust to provide bursaries to aspiring black CAs(SA). Thanks to funding, which came from the auditing fi rms, the Eden Trust helped over 100 black CAs(SA) qualify.

Well-meaning as it was, the trust did not, however, solve the basic problem of access to quality education.

If it was to achieve its goal of a demographically representative membership base, SAICA would need to tackle both funding constraints and a host of academic and psychosocial barriers that black candidates faced in attempting to enter the profession.

THE PROFESSION’S TRANSFORMATION CONCERNS ARE COMPOUNDED

With the arrival of democracy, there was an ever more pressing need to create an integrated economy capable of supporting not just the priviledged minority, but an entire nation. The problem, however, was that as a result of South Africa’s past, the country not only had a poorly educated majority, but was also facing an acute shortage of scarce-skilled professionals – CAs(SA) included.

Faced with the very real threat that the country would not have enough CAs(SA), SAICA decided that it was duty-bound to make a contribution. It was SAICA’s belief – one it still holds today – that you cannot start developing more accountants if you do not have a pipeline. You have to start at school level; you have to make youngsters aware of the profession and make it attractive to them. Then, after they decide on the profession, you need to help them enter it.

So, under the watchful eye and intense involvement of Sizwe Nxasana, Chantyl Mulder (SAICA’s director of transformation at the time), and then-CEO of SAICA Ignatius Sehoole, all CAs(SA), SAICA launched its transformation efforts.

ENTER THUTHUKA

Under the banner of Thuthuka, a Zulu word meaning “to develop”, SAICA launched its fi rst project in the Eastern Cape in 2002 where it ran numeracy and literacy programmes for Grade 11 and 12 educators and learners, and engaged in capacity-building at the University of Fort Hare. Today, that single project has grown into a national one that includes various interventions across the education value chain to provide educational support to African and coloured learners and students for the benefi t of the profession and the nation.

Having started to address the challenge of access to quality education, SAICA now turned its efforts to fi nding ways to fund more aspiring black CAs(SA). After all, while white people made up only 10 per cent of the population by 2002, SAICA’s CAs(SA) membership base remained skewed at 92 per cent white, 5 per cent Indian, 2 percent African and 1 per cent coloured.

So, in 2005, SAICA went one step further. It dissolved the Eden Trust and reinvented it to include a comprehensive wraparound support programme to support students’ psychosocial, additional academic and life-skills needs, then relaunched it as the now world-renowned Thuthuka Bursary.

The gains the chartered accountancy profession has made in its transformation efforts since the day Thuthuka started should be lauded. These successes, among a myriad others, include: • Thuthuka is responsible for the creation of more than 1 500 African and coloured

CAs(SA) with a further 2 000 or so aspiring

CAs(SA) currently in the qualifi cation pipeline. • The World Bank recognises SAICA and

Thuthuka for its transformation efforts. In its 2014 report on South Africa’s regulatory system, the World Bank commended

Thuthuka as a “world-fi rst” and lauded SAICA for having “taken decisive steps to transform the profession”. • The Department of Higher Education modelled its Ministerial Task Team missing middle solution on Thuthuka’s highly effective bursary. Today that project, the

Ikusasa Student Financial Aid Programme (ISFAP), has enabled over 1 800 students to complete a tertiary degree in one of the 11 Occupations of High Demand, including chartered accountancy. • With the help of Thuthuka, all six of South

Africa’s Historically Disadvantaged Institutions (HDIs) have achieved SAICA accreditation for their undergraduate BCom CA-stream degrees. This means prospective CAs(SA) no longer have to move to other provinces to pursue a degree in chartered accountancy.

Further efforts are in place to accredit the postgraduate degree of these HDIs through a combined accreditation project.

EVERY CENT COUNTS

Thuthuka’s initiatives are dependent on funding. All funding is raised entirely through donations, with only one per cent of SAICA’s annual membership fee being directed to Thuthuka.

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If you would like to get involved in funding Thuthuka, visit SAICA’s website.

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