Oxford Map The System

The Map The System challenge is a global competition run by the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. The competition allows participants to explore social or environmental issues by conducting research that will allow one to connect all the elements and factors in system. National finalists from major universities around the world have been selected to present their findings at The Global Final. The final will be taking place at Oxford University from 7-9 June 2019, at which 20 teams from around the world will be presenting.

We are five students who are currently pursuing a Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting at the University of Cape Town. The team is made up of Letlhogonolo Dube, Mabothe Maleka, Phalo Maurice-Mopp, Thubelihle Mzila and Prashant Venkatakrishnan. Despite each individual’s aspirations to become a Chartered Accountant, we share a passion for social empowerment and believe it is part of our civic duty as young South Africans to dedicate our time and resources to helping tackle issues that continue to plague the progress of our country.

With this in mind, we entered the Map The System Competition to uncover the Structural Challenges Facing Basic Public Education in South Africa. Education receives the largest portion of the fiscal budget and is the most popular CSI cause however the quality of our education system is ranked 114th out of 137th according to the World Economic Forum. This alarming statistic is a function of a number of challenges facing the system and we have sought to better understand it through our research in order to offer insightful levers for change. Having entered the competition with 49 other teams in the Western Cape we were announced the regional winners by the local organisers – the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the UCT Graduate School of Business. The prize is a chance to present at the Global Final, with R10 000 in branding services ahead of the Final.

The Bertha Centre has provided funding for 2 team members' flights to and from London, transport for the London-Oxford transfers, as well as accommodation costs in Oxford for the duration of the competition. However, our aim is for all 5 members of our team to present at the competition. As such, we require funding for the other 3 members of our team.

We would really appreciate any form of donation towards this cause as we believe it will offer us the invaluable opportunity to get critical feedback from some of the brightest minds aspiring to bring about change in world. We believe that this in turn, will allow us to refine our analysis in order to create actionable levers for change in the South African education system which so desperately needs addressing.

For more information on the competition, please visit:

http://mapthesystem.sbs.ox.ac.uk