Only 15% of South Africa’s university students graduate. This is put South Africa’s graduation rates among the lowest in the world, reveals The Human Sciences Research Council, and is particularly worrying given government’s goal of transforming professions and addressing the critical shortage of high-level skills in labour markets such as Chartered Accountancy. To plug this hole, the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAI – in partnership with FASSET – have developed Student Support programmes aimed to keep African accounting students in the pipeline. On 4 March 2016, the University of Cape Town (UCT) launched its programme to students for the fifth year running. BCom Accounting is arguably one of the hardest tertiary courses in South Africa. To pass, you need to prove you can apply calculations, auditing, computation and problem-solving skills at the highest level over all four years of study. It is a long and challenging path; one that requires talent, diligence and commitment. Only the toughest survive.

SAICA’s Thuthuka project through the Ikusasalethu (‘Tomorrow is in our hands’) programme at UCT is doing something to increase these odds by improving the retention and pass rates of its African BCom Accounting students.

Ikusasalethu: Helping student’s cope with studies – not just academically, but holistically

Aimed at second and third year African students in the BCom Accounting degree, Ikusasalethu is a Thuthuka and FASSET – the Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta) for Finance, Accounting Services, Management Consulting and other financial services – initiative striving to continue efforts to transform the demographics of the Chartered Accountancy profession to match the country’s demographic profile.

‘Ikusasalethu is based on the successful support programme our Thuthuka Bursary Fund students receive at university,’ explains Ms Gugu Makhanya, Project Director of Transformation and Growth at SAICA. ‘While these students are not funded by Thuthuka, UCT provides them with the same academic support in the form of extra tuition sessions, formal mentoring sessions, mock examinations, as well as exam preparation workshops. The programme also covers soft skills such as study skills, time management and how to write a CV. These skills are valuable add-ons that give students an extra advantage when applying for work.’

The 2016 programme kicked off at UCT at the start of March with a getting-to-know-you, question and answer and motivation session enjoyed by dozens of students. 

Lungile Hadebe, a third year UCT student, believes Ikusasalethu is the reason she stayed in the BCom Accounting programme: ‘I joined Ikusasalethu after failing Accounting in my second year. The programme changed everything for me. My Fridays now start with a one-hour motivational session. These have helped changed my mind-set; made me more confident; given me a different perspective and made me realise that I’m not the only one going through problems. These sessions have made me calmer and the support structure from the Academic Trainees and programme coordinators have helped me a lot too. As a result, I'm more confident in doing accounting. I see graduation happening with Ikusasalethu.’

Sesuthu-Isipho Mbotshelwa, a fourth year student and fellow product of the Ikusasalethu programme, cannot speak highly enough of the all-round support she has received from the programme. She says it made ‘a huge improvement in my accounting marks [and helped me] make it to PGDA’ (UCT’s Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting).