1. The Western Cape Provincial Treasury, in collaboration with Nedbank and the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), invites schools to enter for the 2017 Western Cape Bursary Competition, an essay-writing competition.

2. The Bursary Competition offers Grade 11 learners in the province, taking a combination of Economics, Mathematics and Accounting as subjects, the opportunity of obtaining bursaries and other incentives to further their studies in these fields at a university.

3. A maximum of twelve bursaries, as well as a cash prize as financial assistance during their Grade 12 year, will be awarded to learners who intend obtaining a degree in Economics (e.g. B.Comm (Economics)), Accounting (e.g. B.Acc, B.Compt), Commerce (e.g. B.Bus.Sc) or Mathematics at a Western Cape university.

4. The bursaries are for Grade 11 learners who qualify for entrance to a university in 2019 and who excel (minimum of 60%) in at least two of the following subjects - Economics, Mathematics and Accounting. Entrants must be South African citizens, residing in the Western Cape, who have a good command of spoken and written English.

5. Prizes for the teachers of the winning learners:

  • A laptop/cash prize to the teacher of each of the learners who are placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
  • A cash prize of R5 000 to the teacher of each of the other learners who are awarded bursaries.
6. Principals will be asked to provide the names of the teachers concerned.

7. The bursary competition aims to:

  • promote enthusiasm for Economics, Mathematics, Accounting and career possibilities;
  • promote knowledge and skills in Economics, Mathematics and Accounting;
  • develop problem-solving and analytical abilities;
  • expose learners to research methods and essay-writing skills;
  • provide learners with access and links to the world of work;
  • raise awareness of socio-economic issues in South Africa;
  • encourage and reward excellence; and
  • develop future leaders in the fields of Economics, Mathematics and Accounting.
8. The timeframe for this bursary competition is from March 2017 to March 2018.

9. Refer to the attached Addendum B for the essay topic (supplied only in English).

10. Refer to the attachments for the following:

  • Entry form
  • Assessment rubric to be used and completed by teachers to assess the essays
  • Guidelines for good essay writing
11. Schools should choose promising learners to participate in the competition. They will be required to write an essay of a minimum of 2 200 words. The rest of the Grade 11 Economics class may write an essay on the same topic of a maximum of 600 words.

12. A team of teachers at the school will use the assessment rubric provided to choose the three top performers who fulfil the minimum requirement of 70% (essay and oral presentations combined) to go through to the next round of the competition. The essays and mark sheets of the top three performers and of all other learners who achieved above 70% must be submitted to the district office for assessment at level 2 (district level) by no later than 06 September 2017.

13. An assessment panel in each district will assess the qualifying essays from schools and choose the finalists. The 10 best essays per district will be chosen by this panel and sent through to the final level (provincial level) by 20 September 2017.

14. The twenty best essays will be chosen by the final selection panel, consisting of representatives from Nedbank, the Provincial Treasury and the WCED.

15. A maximum of fifteen finalists will be invited to attend the final selection in Cape Town in March/April 2018 on a Friday afternoon and Saturday following the Provincial Budget Speech. They will be required to give an oral presentation on their research findings and to respond to questions put to them by the selection panel. The Economics teachers of the finalists will be invited to accompany them. The district panel members will be invited to attend the awards ceremony on the Saturday evening.

16. Please consult Addendum A for detailed information about entry requirements, entry documents, timeframes and adjudication criteria.

17. Enquiries about the essay writing and marking must be directed to the district Economics subject adviser.

18. Principals are requested to bring the contents of this minute to the attention of all Grade 11 Economics, Mathematics, Accounting and Life Orientation teachers.


SIGNED: PAD BEETS
DEPUTY DIRECTOR-GENERAL: CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT MANAGEMENT
DATE: 2017:03:16

Addendum A: Additional important information  (size: 29 KB)
Addendum B: Research Project Topic for Grade 11 Programme of Assessment (2017)  (size: 104 KB)
Entry Form  (size: 107 KB)
Essay writing manual  (size: 106 KB)