The country’s education curriculum has been faulted for producing job seekers and not job creators, something irrelevant to current economic demands. And in order to tackle this problem, Eskom unveiled an initiative, the Eskom Entrepreneurship Education Competition, which is a category of Eskom Business Investment Competition.
Every year Simama Ranta identifies, honours and showcases secondary schools that are exemplar in entrepreneurship education. The competition aims to highlight the variety of comprehensive, high-quality entrepreneurship projects in South Africa schools and reward them for their good work.
‘Simama Ranta’ means empowering the South African economy through entrepreneurship education and the programme is managed by the Education With Enterprise Trust (EWET), a non-profit organisation that has for year’s devoted their knowledge, skills and talent to enhance entrepreneurship education in high schools. They work in over 800 schools throughout South Africa, empowering educators to promote entrepreneurship and enhance teaching and learning in economic and management sciences.
On the programme’s relevance, Haylene Liberty-Nel, Eskom Development Foundation CEO, says: “The goal of this national programme is to showcase a variety of business models to South African learners and offer them comprehensive, quality entrepreneurship education. By participating in Simama Ranta, it is hoped that these learners will consider entrepreneurship as a viable career path.”
He adds: “The school programme promotes the South African government’s economic development agenda and aims to encourage economic growth by encouraging learners to consider entrepreneurship as a career choice – and become creators of jobs rather than only job seekers. The clubs that have participated over the years have shown that the spirit of entrepreneurship is alive and well among South Africa’s youth.”
This year R865 000 in prize money is up for grabs. The overall winner receives R100 000 and each provincial winning school receives R50 000. Provincial runners-up receive R25 000 and provincial second runners-up each receive R10 000. The prize money has to be used to ‘grow the school enterprise’.
In addition all 28 finalists, three from each province will travel to Johannesburg to showcase and exhibit their club’s work at the Business Entrepreneurship and Franchise Expo (BEFE) in Johannesburg from 10 to 13 September 2015. Each school will be invited to send a team, consisting of two learners and an educator, to represent their school.
The Eskom Development Foundation, which is responsible for the execution of Eskom’s corporate social investment strategy, has over the years awarded learners for showcasing their entrepreneurship skills, enhancing their business management and economic proficiency.
The Eskom Development Foundation is tasked with implementing Eskom’s CSI strategy and operates as a not-for-profit company in six areas including enterprise development programmes, environment, agriculture, healthcare and social and community development, education.
