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UFS to host inaugural ‘Sanlam and Santam Economist of the Year’ gala event

16 October 2024 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Supplied

The Department of Economics and Finance, within the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) at the University of the Free State (UFS), in collaboration with Sanlam and Santam, will host the inaugural ‘Sanlam & Santam Economist of the Year’ competition gala event on 18 October 2024. The event, to be held on the UFS Bloemfontein campus, marks the exciting conclusion of this prestigious competition.

About the competition

Prof Johan Coetzee, Chairperson of the Department of Economics and Finance at UFS, explained that the competition, launched in July 2024, is an initiative of the department, sponsored by Sanlam and Santam. ‘’The competition aims to equip our graduates with the essential skills required for the modern workplace, including presentation, communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills,” said Prof Coetzee. He also highlighted plans to extend the competition to schools, saying, “We are looking forward to broadening the platform to include school-level participants.”

In addition, Prof Coetzee noted that the competition is designed to train students to become highly skilled economists capable of navigating the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

The competition sees students - ranging from first-year undergraduates to those pursuing master's qualifications within the department - competing against each other by making predictions on key macroeconomic indicators. A schedule of these indicators is provided, and students must predict their values on an online platform before the official release of each indicator. Points are awarded based on the accuracy of their predictions, with the top 10 competitors progressing to the final stage.

Gala event highlights

Representatives from Sanlam and Santam, the Department of Economics and Finance, the top 10 finalists, and the department’s top academic performers from each year group will attend the gala event. “Besides recognising the competition winners, we will also honour our top academic achievers. As a department, we acknowledge the importance of recognition, and we are proud to be the academic home of these outstanding students,” Prof Coetzee added.

The top 10 finalists will each deliver a six-minute presentation to a panel of four economists from the department, after which the top three finalists will be announced. These finalists will then answer an additional question, and the final judging will determine the winner of the ‘Sanlam and Santam Economist of the Year’ title. The winner will also receive the largest cash prize.

In addition to the awards, Sivuyile Nzimeni, a data analyst within the EMS faculty and the developer of the competition platform, will address the audience. Nzimene will discuss the development of the platform and plans for its expansion.

News Archive

Global Leadership Summit takes a look at Higher Education in the South African context

2012-07-10

Since 1994 South Africa has achieved a lot in making higher education accessible to South Africans, but challenges still face us daily.

This was the message of a lecture by Dr Lis Lange, Senior Director at the Directorate for Institutional Research and Academic Planning (DIRAP) today at the Global Leadership Summit at the University of the Free State (UFS).

Dr Lange’s lecture focused on the Higher Education and Leadership for Change in South Africa.

In her lecture Dr Lange said in 1994 about 525 000 students, of which 47% were white students, enrolled in South African universities. White youth participation in South Africa was also far higher at 70% comparing to the 9% participation by African youth.

Dr Lange found that eighteen years into democracy, about 900 000 students enrol in South African universities of which the majority is African students. The number of female students also increased greatly.

“In general, youth participation in South Africa remains low. This is still more prevalent among African youth. We also experience a high drop-out rate in South African institutions of higher education.”

Dr Lange delivered this lecture on Monday as part of a series of conversations taking place at the UFS during the Global Leadership Summit. About 160 student and staff delegates are attending this summit and will take part in various critical dialogues.

Higher Education and Leadership - A critical view.

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