Two school investment competitions, run by Coronation and the JSE, are using simulated markets to teach learners and students about risk, patience, diversification and the noisy business of separating headlines from long-term value.

South Africa has a savings problem, a youth unemployment problem and, too often, a money education problem.

This is the awkward triangle into which school investment challenges are trying to squeeze a small but practical wedge: giving young people a safe place to make money decisions before those decisions involve actual rent, actual debt, actual salaries or actual regret.

Two current competitions, the Coronation Top Investor Challenge: Schools Edition and the JSE Investment Challenge, are part game, part classroom, part career window. Both use simulated investing to introduce learners to markets, risk, decision-making and the discipline of thinking beyond the instant reward.

The Coronation challenge, now in its second year, is open to high school learners across SA and offers R120,000 in prizes. Learners participate in teams, receive a virtual pot of money and make investment choices based on future scenarios presented through short videos. The team whose portfolio grows the most by the end of the challenge wins.

The JSE Investment Challenge, which began on 16 March and closes on 15 September 2026, gives high school learners and university students a virtual R1-million portfolio to invest in JSE-listed shares in a simulated trading environment that mirrors real stock market...