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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

Medical students enrich lives through community service project

2016-03-18

Description: 2016 03 18 Outreach Tags: 2016 03 18 Outreach

A group of third-year medical students organised a fun day for Ons Kinderhuis as part of their community service project.

As part of their curriculum, third-year MBChB students are required to complete a community service project in collaboration with a specific NGO in Bloemfontein. Not only do these projects serve an academic requirement, but also echo the spirit of service and compassion emblematic of the Human Project of the University of the Free State (UFS).

One group of students chose to pour their time and care into Ons Kinderhuis–home to 100 children with special needs. Since their involvement, these medical students have helped improve the home’s facilities and also hosted various fun days for the staff and children.

The latest fun day was celebrated on Saturday 12 March 2016. The festivities were kicked off in the morning by a game of soccer using the brand-new goal posts recently built by the medical students. It was difficult to decide who were more excited – the children or the staff – when some of the Cheetah rugby players joined the event. A slippery slide came in handy to wash off sticky hands and mouths and for little bodies with lots of energy the jumping castle was a perfect answer. Faces were painted and a banner created while music and the smell of the braai floated into the autumn air.

“I couldn't help but be proud of my team and thankful for this opportunity,” said Willem Potgieter, one of the student volunteers. Seeing the smiles on the children’s faces made it all worthwhile. “It was truly a humbling and a great learning experience for each and every one of us,” Willem said.

This group of medical students consist of Burger Oosthuizen, Marié Engelbrecht, Lourens Badenhorst, Dirki Wessels, Roodt Ehlers, Shirley-Louise du Plessis, Mariet Geldenhuys, Louise-Mari Zietsman and Willem Potgieter.

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