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School of Accountancy graduates achieve exceptional results in SAICA ITC professional exams

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

Achieve academic goals with an online presence

2016-11-02

Description: Academic Reboot Pack 2.0 Tags: Academic Reboot Pack 2.0

The Academic Reboot Pack 2.0 of the
University of the Free State introduces
an online academic approach to help
students complete the 2016 academic
year.
Photo: iStock

With the recent break in the academic activities at most of the countries’ universities, higher education managers are pressured to come up with ways of completing the rest of the 2016 academic year.

An approach introduced by the University of the Free State (UFS), is the use of online learning platforms.

For the remainder of the year, students will be required to do the majority of their work online. To support students during this time, the UFS has created an Academic Reboot Pack 2.0, which included #8 Habits of Highly successful online students.

Stay informed and prioritise your work

Make the online environment the top priority in your daily schedules. Be extra vigilant in your studies and use online learning platforms such as Blackboard to check your modules for new announcements and academic information.

You will also need to prioritise between important and less important tasks. This will give you an indication as to which tasks to focus on first.

Optimise your environment and work until you achieve goals

You need to optimise your study environment in a space where you can be productive and study efficiently. Continue working until you have achieved your goals, but also remember to reward yourself when you have reached them.

Staying organised

Remember, you need to stay organised and declutter your environment. It will be best to create a filing system for your paper-based notes, as well as the electronic files on your computer.

Get study buddies and keep a healthy body and mind

Get study buddies as this provides a good opportunity to share knowledge. If you are not sure about something, contact your lecturers via email or on their office numbers.

Lastly, keep a healthy body and mind because you will need to keep going a little longer than anticipated this year.

Get your copy of the Academic Reboot Pack 2.0 on Blackboard under announcements or click here to download it.

Also see the first Academic Reboot Pack.

If students have any question or queries regarding the Academic Reboot Pack 2.0, they can send an email to: advising@ufs.ac.za

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