According to the Department of Higher Education and Training, chartered accountants are among the top 100 scarcest individuals in the country. The North-West University (NWU) is addressing this shortage by being placed among the top universities in the country.
This was evident when the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) recently released the results of the January 2019 Initial Test of Competence (ITC: qualifying exam part 1).
The NWU delivered 92 students and, together with the University of Pretoria, came first out of 16 universities with a 94% pass rate for first-time candidates. According to the results released by SAICA, the national average pass rate for first-time candidates was 76% — 18% lower than that of the NWU.
The university also has two candidates in the ITC top ten list: Franco Bosman who took first place and Ida Mittermaier, who was third.
“It is significant that we are the top university again. This is a true reflection of our lecturers and management’s dedication to train chartered accountants that are fully equipped to enter the workplace,” said Prof Robert Balfour, deputy vice-chancellor for teaching and learning during the announcement of the results.
Prof Dan Kgwadi, vice-chancellor, congratulates all the students who passed the exam. He says the NWU has consistently been under the top universities in this regard.
SAICA’s aim is to transform its racial demographics in line with those of the national population. Prof Nico van der Merwe, programme leader of the CA programme on the NWU’s campus in Potchefstroom adds that all their NWU *Thuthuka candidates passed on their first attempt.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Namibia (ICAN) also released their results, with the NWU boasting a 92% pass rate for its Namibian candidates. The university also has three candidates in the Namibian top five list – Elanie Opperman was second, Cholwe Phiri fourth and Agnes Nanyeni fifth.
*Through its Thuthuka Bursary Fund project, SAICA places fully bursared African and coloured students at selected SAICA-accredited universities.
