TikTok sensation thanks Unisa for enabling access to higher education for the marginalised

A typical TikTok scroll on a student’s FYP will often land you on @TheAccountingGirl’s page, where she is trusted and renowned for providing the best accounting advice to students. Karabo Koma, also known as TheAccountingGirl, is a final year BCom Accounting student at Unisa.

Koma matriculated in 2015 but began her tertiary education in 2017 at the University of Pretoria where she obtained her BA degree majoring in Psychology and Criminology in 2020. Throughout her studies, Koma says she reckoned she was not suited or passionate for the career she was studying for. She subsequently enrolled for a Higher Certificate in Accounting Sciences at Unisa, which she passed with four distinctions. She is now doing her final year in Bcom Accounting Sciences, majoring in Financial Accounting.

@TheAccountingGirl is a final year BCom Accounting student at Unisa

Access to higher education

Access to higher education is crucial for South Africa as it is the basis for many critical issues, such as reducing unemployment and decreasing poverty. However, not every university provides easy access to learning. Barriers often faced by potential students include poverty, high tuition fees, exclusive entrance standards, geographic mobility, and some forms of discrimination. However, as an African university committed to shaping futures in the service of humanity and redressing societal imbalances, Unisa has, for decades, made access to education possible for all. Its open-distance eLearning modality addresses geographical mobility, while its affordable tuition fees have allowed previously disadvantaged people to gain access to a university system for generations.

Koma’s access to study for a BCom  Accounting Sciences for example was made possible by initially enrolling for a Higher Certificate in Accounting Sciences. Among other considerations, this qualification is intended for candidates who consider their arithmetic, computing and English communication skills to be below par. Students are equipped to develop the skills needed to perform basic duties under supervision in bookkeeping, costing, auditing and taxation. Given a chance to pursue her dream in accounting, Koma passed her qualification and exceeded expectations, allowing her to enrol on a BCom degree. Her access to a qualification in accountancy is made possible by Unisa’s innovative ways to enable access to higher education for all. This is why Unisa is a university of choice for Koma and many others who would otherwise be denied an opportunity to study towards their dream careers.

Inspiration and aspirations

Asked what her aspirations are,  Koma says: “Ultimately, I would love to be a chief financial officer for one of the big four accounting firms and a management accounting lecturer because the sky is the limit for me.’’  She adds: “ I genuinely aspire to help other young people to know that a career in accounting is accessible, even when the odds are against you.”

Asked who inspires her passion, she says: “My father inspired my career choice from a very young age. He was a financial accountant who would always take me to work on Sundays. I loved his passion for his job and constant desire to put his best foot forward. I would get so excited being in his office while Metro FM played in the background, and he would assign me small tasks. It made me feel like such a grown girl who could conquer anything she set her mind to.”

@TheAccountingGirl says: “I would love to be a chief financial officer for one of the big four accounting firms and a management accounting lecturer."

A TikTok sensation

Sharing what inspired her to start a TikTok page dedicated to assisting accounting students, Koma says: “I began @TheAccountingGirl page in 2022 just after my June exams, and at the time, I had just gotten my results. Sadly, my marks had dropped.” She adds: “Between struggling with my mental health and stressing over how I could improve my marks, my mother helped me realise that I needed some kind of external inspiration to help me stay motivated enough to study, and that is how I started the page.”

She continues: “My initial vision with the page was to share my journey as a Unisa student and to provide helpful information on getting access to study for qualifications in accounting with potential students who had lower marks in maths.”  Koma says this will remain her goal,  “hopefully,” she says:  “as my page grows my message can reach more students who need to hear it so that they do not give up on their dreams because Unisa offers alternative ways over the traditional route provided by other universities. Your matric marks should never limit your dreams,” she asserts.

While Koma is modest in sharing the impact she is making amongst her peers, one notable feedback she has received from her followers is from a young woman who got in contact after her video sharing how accounting students/graduates can get to serve articles at one of the big four accounting firms in the country. Following her advice, the young lady applied for an opportunity, got an interview and, subsequently, a contract at a big firm. This and several other feedback stories from her followers keep her motivated and inspired to help more young people.

As a student in the centre of assisting fellow students across national universities, Koma’s TikTok page has placed her in a position where she learns about student challenges in higher education, like financial exclusions and lack of funding, among other obstacles. In this regard, she urges the Department of Higher Education to bolster student funding efforts in collaboration with institutions of higher learning and the private sector. She adds: “ I also believe that reducing registration costs and expanding payment plans would help many students and their families.” “Policymakers also need to enforce multiple ways of making education accessible to all,” she concludes.

*By Kgothatso Mojela, Intern Journalist, Department of Institutional Advancement.