Watch Super Stage’s newest Super Star, Mbuso Mathibela pitch his team’s 100% IN Super Idea.
UCT’s Mbuso is willing to be a driving force in radically changing the way young South Africans think and act about their futures. Mashadi believes that this country has immense potential and that we are not even operating at a fraction of that potential. Easygoing Lebogang wants to incorporate the involvement of the people being affected by his solutions. Nadia wants to be a part of the collective that is going to inspire and propagate change.
Zoning in on the Problem
The issue of university dropouts is a multi-faceted one that comprises of many different factors that build up and lead to the problem. It would be impractical to try to address all of these factors at once and attempt to tackle the problem head on. The only feasible way to truly solve the problem is if we identify and address the factors individually. That is why we have chosen to isolate one part of the problem and provide a possible solution to that particular factor.
Our solution aims at targeting the grassroots level of the problem by repairing the weak foundation on which students enter university. We will do this by addressing two bases:
1. Addressing issues while learners are still at a high school level
2. Equipping these learners with financial literacy
Why this approach?
What the Money Minds team has found, is that there is a lack of preparation for impending challenges and basic systems that learners (especially those from poorer communities) will encounter at university. It is often too late to try to learn the skills needed at university as often, students do not even know how to pinpoint their specific problem areas or feel too overwhelmed to seek help. This lack of information hinders their ability to adapt. It is therefore important to adequately prepare learners with all the necessary information and skills before they enter the university environment.
In essence, what Money Minds aims to do is to prevent the problem before it has an opportunity to manifest.
Our Solution
Our solution is two-pronged:
1. Preparatory courses
The main aim of the preparatory courses that Money Minds will administer is not only to familiarise learners with the university system and environment and to equip them with the skills to cope in this environment, but we also aim to impart learners with the necessary leadership skills. The purpose of these leadership skills, we feel, is to enable learners to be confident within themselves and in their abilities. We hope that this will make them more comfortable to interact with university structures and to seek help when needed without the notion that if they are struggling then there must be something intrinsically wrong with them.
Currently, the Money Minds project is working in conjunction with an organisation called Grow2Lead, which administers leadership programmes to high school learners; focusing on leadership, vision and goal setting and personal development.
As part of the preparatory course, we will administer a booklet to students that we will compile. It will list all the relevant university structures that exist – solely to offer help and support to students; whether it may be in terms of academics, orientation, integration, financial or physical and psychological health. We have found that all the relevant university structures are there to offer assistance and support to students but that other than during the first orientation week, they are not visible to students or students are unsure on how to access them.
2. Financial Literacy
The purpose of the financial literacy aspect of the Money Minds project is to ensure that learners are confident in their financial literacy and abilities, and to instil in them a basic understanding of the financial issues that affect them.
Most students dropout due to an inability to pay university fees (enabling them to carry on studying). However there are still students who receive some form of financial aid – and still dropout. Clearly, the problem is not available finances but rather the inability to manage their finances and use it for the appropriate means.
Money Minds aims to equip these learners with a reasonable understanding of finance management and help them to sustainably spend their finances on their university needs.
With a reasonable handle on their finances, students can therefore focus on academia and other aspects that will help them to achieve at university.