By 
The Free State MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism Mr. Ketso Makume will on Monday, 17 March 2025 host Grade 12 Budget Essay Award Ceremony.
The Grade 12 budget competition is a provincial competition that targets grade 12 economics learners. It is a stimulating challenge in economics that exposes learners to how the Free State Provincial Government prepares the provincial budget and the budget speech.
The competition encourages passionate learners of economics to step into the shoes of the MEC of Finance when he allocates provincial resources.
The Grade 12 Budget Essay Competition is an initiative aimed at youth participation in resource allocation in the province. The competition is a partnership between Department of Treasury and the Department of Education.
It started in 2012, with few schools and in 2017 it included all the schools in the province till to date (only in 2021 was the competition suspended due to COVID-19). Prizes are the responsibility of the Department of Treasury and its sponsors.
Top five learners that participated in the Grade 12 Budget Essay Competition from five districts of the province will be awarded with prizes on the day for writing the best essay out of the schools that participated.
The award ceremony will be held at the Protea Hotel, Willow Lake in Bloemfontein at 17: 00.
