Photo: Robyn Kirk
Primary school children in Bryanston are getting a taste of the business world in order to help them prepare for the future.
The Bryanston Parallel Medium School (BPMS) has started an entrepreneurship programme aimed at the children in grades 1 through 7 called ‘BPMS BizKidz’. The programme hopes to instil a basic understanding of business in the children, and also gives them the opportunity to start their own small businesses before a school market day which will be held on 31 May. Although the Grade 7s at the school do something similar each year, parents at the school wanted to introduce entrepreneurship to younger children as well.
“Basically, we’re trying to encourage the entrepreneurship spirit among young children, as while they may learn about businesses in high school this is too late,” explained Ashley Abrahams, who is part of the school governing body behind the programme and who has three daughters of his own attending the school.
“The parents were behind the idea, as we all believe that small business is the way forward for this country.
“We want our children to have a small advantage as they go forward in life.”
The programme works as follows: Each class has two sessions which focus on business basics in an age-appropriate way (such as on concepts like profit and loss, a business plan and the pricing of goods) after which each child goes away and comes up with their own idea for a business, either individually or in a group.
After two weeks the children come back to present their ideas to their class and the teacher chooses two or three businesses to take part in the Market Day later this month.
“The children actually presented last week and their teachers chose the best out of their class,” explained Annemie Nel, who teaches the Grade 7 economic management sciences at the school and is also the department head of academics.
“Two projects were chosen from each class, which means that there are eight in each grade and we’ll have a total of 56 stalls selling on the day.
“This year, as the first year, we’ll allow the children to keep all the profits they earn [during the market day], and from next year they’ll give the funds back to the school so we can use it to better the community.”
The children are enjoying learning something new – Nel explained that all those involved in the programme are excited to see how much they could make for themselves.
“They’ve definitely taken to entrepreneurship like a duck to water,” Abrahams agreed.
“Even the children in Grade 1 are excited about it.”
The market day will be taking place at the school on 31 May and members of the public are invited to attend.
For more information, or to lend your own business expertise to the project, please feel free to contact Ashley Abrahams at abrahamswer@gmail.com; 066 226 9955.
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