Akshay Rampersad, an 18-year old Grade 12 learner at Westville Boys’ High School, scooped third position in the SAICA-Sage Pastel Accounting Olympiad with a mark of 88%. He shares third position with Pfano Nemukumbi of Patrick Ramaano Secondary School in Limpopo province and Gardee Usaamah of Middelburg Muslim School in Mpumalanga province. He was also the top learner in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province.
“I was excited when I found how I had performed. The paper was challenging. Most of the sections were covered at school but some were totally new to me. I had a feeling that I did well after writing the paper but was unsure of my result.”
Rampersad has his sights set on studying actuarial science at the University of Cape Town (UCT), his second choice of a career path is travelling down the CA(SA) route.
“I always enjoyed accounting and excelled in the subject. Mrs Wies was my teacher for four years. She is a good teacher who has an innovative methodology and learning is exciting. She sets us frequent tests and assignments which I believe extend us and are a vital component in doing well.”
When he is not studying he enjoys playing sport (volleyball, soccer) and also partakes in chess. He is also a member of various task teams at school and a student leader.
His message to other youngsters is simple, yet powerful. “Be determined and work hard, this combination will ensure that you achieve success.”
Akshay’s teacher, Mrs Wies, was thrilled to hear about Akshay’s success. She has been teaching for 28 years, this being her 10th year at Westville Boys’ High School. “I consider myself to be a dedicated teacher and I simply love my job. I love interacting with learners and I enjoy seeing them achieving their goals and excelling at what they do. I am overjoyed and very proud of Akshay’s achievement in the Olympiad. At Westville Boys’, we strive to provide our learners with challenging and insightful tasks which allow learners, with hard work and dedication, to reach their full potential.I will continue to ensure that my learners succeed and give them every opportunity to extend themselves in the field of Accounting.”
Mrs Wies has solid advice for learners,” Set achievable goals and work hard and conscientiously to attain these goals.”