Female learners at Mpumalanga-based Mpumelelo Secondary School have demonstrated an overwhelming interest in enhancing their knowledge of investments, says teacher Sizwe Mtsweni.

Mtsweni mentors several learners from the school who are participating in the JSE Investment Challenge.  The school has 28 learners – divided into seven teams of four – participating in the JSE Investment Challenge, the JSE’s flagship programme that aims to teach South African learners and students about investing on the JSE.

Since March 2021, the teams under Mtsweni’s supervision have won four different monthly prizes.

“Our female learners have demonstrated an amazing level of dedication and discipline,” says Mtsweni. He says the school also has noted significant rates of male dropouts. When a male learner fails and has to repeat a class a few times, they seem to lose their enthusiasm for learning and they end up dropping out. However, our female learners seem to just get on with it,” notes Mtsweni. 

One of his teams, MP Magic Traders demonstrated this spirit. The team won the school’s fourth accolade in four months by claiming the prize for June in the income portfolio. “The Investment Challenge aims to drive financial literacy among the South African youth and cultivate a culture of saving and investment,” says Ralph Speirs, CSI officer at the JSE. 

“We want to ensure that when learners and students leave the education environment, they understand how to use their disposable income and acquire healthy financial behaviour.”

Mtsweni says the competition has given Mpumelelo Secondary School learners, particularly females, a sense of hope and purpose. 

“We want to thank the JSE for giving us this opportunity and allowing our learners to be more productively engaged,” concludes Mtsweni.

June 2021 category winners:

•  Income portfolio - MP Magic Traders, Mpumelelo Secondary School
•  Equity portfolio - Element X, Center of Excellence High School
•  Speculator portfolio - The Capitalists, Crawford College Sandton
•  Speculator portfolio (University) - Limpopo Goes to the Market, University of Cape Town

Registration for the 2021 Investment Challenge is still open and interested learners and students can still participate in the competition. To register for the challenge, visit the JSE Investment Challenge website and to stay updated, follow the competition’s social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.