Mpumalanga’s Top Learners Celebrated at Tenth Annual Thuthuka Camp

While most schools are as silent as the grave during school holidays, Machadodorp’s Emakhazeni Boarding School was buzzing with activity between 25 June and 3 July 2016 as 400 of the province’s top learners received additional support in mathematics, communication, science, accounting, career guidance and life skills at this year’s Mpumalanga Thuthuka Camp. On the last day of the camp, SAICA, the Mpumalanga Department of Education and representatives from the province’s Auditor-General South Africa (AGSA) congratulated the following learners for achieving top marks for:

• Accounting:
  1. Sphesihle Mkhamazi (Lowveld High School)
  2. Andiswa Myeni (Ndlela Secondary School)
  3. Ntando Mthimkhulu (Stintile Secondary School)

• Physical science:
  1. Hlengiwe Magagula (Khutsaleni Secondary School)
  2. Lwazi Mathebula (Lowveld High School)
  3. Remind Mkhabela (Mabarhule Secondary School)

• Mathematics:
  1. Tshepo Nkambule (Thomas Nhlabati Secondary)
  2. Glen Lucky Mtshweni (Sobantu Secondary School)
  3. Thokozane Mahlangu (Ndzundza Mabhoko Secondary School)

Special prizes were also given to:

• Lwazi Mathebula for the best overall performance in mathematics and science
• Mzwandile Lubisi (Lowveld High School) for the best overall performance in mathematics and accounting

‘We are very proud of these learners as well as all those who attended the Thuthuka camps,’ says Gugu Makhanya, SAICA Senior Executive for Transformation. ‘We are especially excited to see how they will perform in their final matric exams, since our records show that every year our camp learners are on the list of the country’s top matric learners.’

The 2016 Mpumalanga Thuthuka camp also marked a special anniversary in the camp’s history – with this year’s camp cementing a ten-year partnership between the Mpumalanga Department of Education and SAICA.

This is an important milestone for both SAICA and Mpumalanga’s Department of Education, as both are actively working to improve the educational standards of maths, science and accounting for disadvantaged learners in the province. For SAICA, this project is also instrumental in helping the institute overcome barriers to transformation within the accountancy profession.

At the award ceremony, the Department expressed their gratitude to SAICA for supporting the education of learners within the province and stated that it is through projects like this that the Department is honouring its commitment to deliver quality education to all learners ‘with a particular focus on mathematics, physical science and accounting in its pursuit to improve the quality of teaching and learning in these critical subjects’.

‘This is exactly what is being achieved here,’ adds SAICA’s project manager for Mpumalanga, Godfrey Legwale. ‘You only need to look at learners like Mngamezulu Thando, from Mpuluzi Secondary School, whose achievement of “most improved learners at the camp” was honoured here tonight to see how these camps improve learners’ knowledge. Add to this the fact that the Mpumalanga branch of the Auditor-General of South Africa was able to shortlist nine learners from this week’s camp for bursaries to study at university next year, and it is clear that camps like this give learners opportunities they may not have been afforded elsewhere – especially when you consider that all 400 learners met the entry requirements for the AGSA bursary.’

Learner representatives David Ngobeni, Surprise Choshi and Anele Khoza echoed this sentiment when they thanked the Department, the AGSA and SAICA with these closing words: ‘You have believed in us so much. Thank you for nurturing us.’