The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) says school and university teams looking to up their investment and financial knowledge can apply to participate in the JSE Investment Challenge.
Now in its 50th year, the virtual trading financial literacy programme aims to upskill young people in the fundamentals of investing and the importance of financial literacy.
Through the programme, South African school learners and tertiary students invest a virtual amount of R1 million on the stock market in JSE-listed shares over a six-month period.
Their performance is tracked and measured against other competitors, with top-performers eligible for prizes after the challenge closes in September.
“For five decades, the competition has been a significant vehicle to promote financial literacy, demystify the trading landscape, as well as encourage savings and investment from an early age,” explains Idris Seedat, head of transformation and CSI at the JSE.
“Using gamification, we are now better able to make the competition engaging and accessible to participants from all backgrounds, ensuring thousands more are equipped with the fundamental skills required to build wealth.”
Last year’s challenge attracted 24 000 participants from urban, township and rural areas, says a statement.
High schools may enter one or more teams, with the challenge being open to all learners. A team must consist of four members from grades eight to 12 and a teacher must supervise each team.
University students must form a team with members registered with the same institution. Each team must have a minimum of two and a maximum of four members. All students are eligible, regardless of their field of study, according to the statement.
Monthly prizes are awarded to the best-performing teams, and overall winners receive a share of R1 million in prizes, including a trip to an international stock exchange for participants in the university game.
“Opportunities like these help our youth gain real trading skills through an interactive platform, while entrenching the value of savings and investing in their long-term development towards financial freedom.
“As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the game, we aim to further broaden the challenge’s footprint by reaching schools, tertiary institutions and areas that we have not touched before and entrench financial literacy in the social fabric of our country,” notes Seedat.
Teams looking to enter the competition can register electronically. Interested schools can register here. For universities, the registration link is here.
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