UFH celebrates quality results for accountants
Pass rate of 89.1% puts it at no 5 in SA
THE University of Fort Hare is celebrating its restored reputation for producing great accountants with a 89.1% pass rate in the latest South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SIACA) board exams.
The institute released the nation’s accountancy graduates’ results on Friday. UFH’s 89.1% pass rate places it at number five in the country.
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch yesterday UFH spokesperson Khotso Moabi said the university had tied for first place with the University of Pretoria two years ago with a 92% pass rate, and a decline in performance had been influenced by student protests.
Students have mobilised across the country in one of the biggest student protests in democratic South Africa to demand free education.
The university said these protests sent their pass rate tumbling to 75%.
“We are genuinely pleased by the latest results, especially when one considers the fact that we are a university that predominantly teaches students from rural and underprivileged backgrounds,” said
Moabi.
In a statement released by SAICA, the organisation said transformation of the racial demographics of the profession still had a way to go, particularly as it related to the difference in pass rates between African and white candidates.
Senior executive professional development at SAICA Mandi Olivier congratulated all the candidates who sat for the Initial Test of Competence examination, the first of two exams university graduates must pass to become a chartered accountant, as well as the universities that were training the candidates.
“We acknowledge that as a profession, we have a long way to go to with transforming our overall membership body. This will take many years given that it takes at least seven years to qualify as a CA(SA). While the past statistics cannot be changed (as reflected in the statistics of members over the age of 35), statistics related to those in the pipeline are being positively influenced,” said Oliver.