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09 July 2021 | Story Dr Nitha Ramnath | Photo Pixabay

Graduates in the University of the Free State School of Accountancy achieved exceptional results in the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) Initial Test of Competence (ITC).  The UFS achieved an 81% pass rate in the April ITC exam for first-time writers of the BAcc Honours and PGDip (Chartered Accountancy) programmes, compared to the national average of 70%. 

The ITC examination is the first of two qualifying professional examinations required to qualify as a chartered accountant (CA(SA)) in South Africa and is written by graduates shortly after completion of their formal university studies.  There are two sittings for this examination annually, and the April exam is the first for 2021.

“These results were attained despite the very challenging circumstances of the emergency remote teaching environment during 2020 and is testament to the quality of our CA programme and the hard work and dedication of the staff of the School of Accountancy,” said Prof Frans Prinsloo, Director: School of Accountancy. He added that, “the results confirm the ‘quality’ / ‘excellence’ of our CA programme, and reinforce similar observations made by the SAICA monitoring team following their 2020 full visit (which included a detailed evaluation of our CA programme)”. 

Transformation of chartered accountancy profession

Seventy percent of UFS graduates passed the April 2021 ITC examination, including 38 African and 3 Coloured graduates, while 10 out of 13 of the Thuthuka Bursary Programme graduates of 2020 passed. More than 60% of UFS graduates who passed the examination are black (i.e., African, Coloured, and Indian), with a pass rate of 73% compared to the national average of 52%, which include first-time and repeat candidates. The results are testimony of the interventions put in place to contribute to the transformation of the chartered accountancy profession. 

Student-centred teaching approach
      
The School of Accountancy follows a ‘student-centred’ teaching and learning approach. During the COVID-19 pandemic, teaching was predominantly remote and was adapted to include ongoing, clear communication about the academic programme, comprehensive teaching materials containing additional explanations, learning notes, comments, cross-references to theory, and step-by-step learning guides per topic to enable students to navigate their learning. 

Other interventions have also been put in place to support students financially via the school’s INTRABAS unit, mentorship and peer support initiatives, detailed tracking of student participation and performance, follow-up with students, and regular ‘check-ins’ with the student body to consider the student voice and ensure the relevance of the teaching offering. 

The UFS is looking forward to the journey of our candidates and their contributions to the world of work. 

News Archive

Education dialogue opens engagement on legacy of OR Tambo
2017-10-05

Description: Dialogue  Tags: OR Tambo, education, future, students, Africa, activism 

Pali Lehohla, outgoing Statistician-General speaking at the
Centennial celebration of Oliver Tambo.
Photo: Supplied


To celebrate Oliver Reginald Tambo’s centennial year, the Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation, in partnership with the Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State (UFS), Prof Francis Petersen, and Absa Bank, hosted an interactive dialogue session, titled “Educating Africa’s Future” on 26 September 2017 on the Bloemfontein Campus.

Students encouraged to take charge of their future
The event opened up dialogue on some of the current burning issues that affect students in South Africa, societal challenges such as poverty and crime, and how leaders such as Tambo envisaged a free Africa. Prof Petersen highlighted the role that universities played in developing society, in creating leaders and crafting the path to transformation. Other speakers included Pali Lehohla, outgoing Statistician-General, Linda Vilakazi, CEO of the Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation, Nombulelo Nxesi, CEO of Education, Training and Development Practices, Sector Education and Training Authority, Prof Peliwe Lolwana, Associate Professor at Wits University’s Centre for Researching Education and Labour, and Sikhululekile Luwaca, former UFS Student Representative Council (SRC) president.

Education may require a new approach
During the panel discussion that was facilitated by Phiwe Mathe, former UFS SRC President and media officer in the Office of the Chief Whip of the Free State Legislature. The audience raised concerns regarding the future of funding for university study, the securing of employment and possibilities, if any, of entrepreneurship. In response to some of the concerns, Pali Lehohla said the realities of family dynamics in South Africa affected the ability of students to be properly profiled and funded, according to family income, and that most importantly, the solutions to Africa’s challenges had to come from within and not without. Students’ questions gravitated towards the question of whether higher education in its current form was still valuable or whether new models of teaching that would foster inclusion and earlier economic independence would be of better value.

The legacy of OR Tambo continues to be honoured
The notion of education as a driver for the liberation of South Africa and the continent as a whole, poverty alleviation and freedom from colonial rule are some of the building blocks of the legacy of Oliver Tambo. 
Linda Vilakazi reiterated that students and student leaders would benefit from seeing the importance of using a broad-based African approach to the issues that plague them and their peers, rather than seeing their challenges outside of the continental context.  Sikhululekile Luwaca said higher education must be more accessible, and in order to drive change, students should use their education to become future employers rather than employees and change the face of the future themselves as was envisioned by other liberation leaders.
Caption: Pali Lehohla, outgoing Statistician-General speaking at the Centennial celebration of Oliver Tambo.

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