UJ student comes out top in ITC results
• Simon Basson and fellow student Brett Black achieve honours in the examination that was written by 3,012 candidates, writes Penny Haw
Student and academic trainee Simon Basson from the Department of Accountancy at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) was named the top candidate in the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (Saica) January 2018 Initial Test of Competence (ITC) exam, the results of which were released in March.
Fellow UJ student Brett Black was also placed in the top 10. Both Basson and Black achieved honours, which means they attained a score of 75% or higher for the examination, which was written by 3,012 candidates.
“We are proud of the performance of our students and the fact that 207 UJ candidates passed this rigorous exam,” says head of UJ’s Department of Accountancy, Professor Ben Marx, who was recently certified as a Chartered Director(SA), which is a professional designation conferred by the Institute of Directors in Southern Africa to individuals who have demonstrated proficiency to serve as directors.
The results of the ITC examinations, which is the first of two professional examinations that candidate chartered accountants (CAs) are required to pass to register with Saica, once more confirmed that UJ is among the leading South African universities when it comes to transforming the accounting profession.
“The results confirm UJ’s position in transforming the accounting profession in SA: UJ is one of the main contributors of African candidates with 106 successful African candidates passing the exam,” says Marx. “This is the second highest number of African candidates of all residential universities in SA, contributing 18% (106 out of 578) of all African residential passes in the January 2018 ITC.”
Marx says there can be no argument that performance against transformation indicators has become one of the most important measures in evaluating the performance of universities in the ITC.
In line with SA’s National Development Plan: Vision for 2030, Saica and participating universities and businesses have undertaken specific projects and actions to facilitate the development of chartered accountants from underrepresented sections of the population. UJ is a partner in Saica’s Thuthuka Education Upliftment Fund (TEUF) and Thuthuka Bursary Fund (TBF).
The university’s equity programme, which accepts students supported by the TBF, is carefully designed to provide the best possible environment for success. Managed by the equity team comprising three full-time staff members from the Department of Accountancy (a chartered accountant, an educational psychologist and an academic article clerk), it looks to group dynamics to accelerate the learning process and to provide students with solid support structures at university.
Students on the programme are, for example, encouraged to stay together in a UJ residence where a culture of support and care for each other is nurtured. They are provided with additional academic support from senior students and academic trainees. This helps them to attain a thorough knowledge of content and stimulates discussions in class.
To encourage the students to study continuously and to ensure they and their lecturers can continuously monitor their progress, regular tests are written. Thereafter, memorandums and exam methodology are discussed with them in detail. The equity programme also helps impart the life skills necessary to help the students develop those skills needed in the workplace.
Each first-year student is provided with a mentor. As part of an undertaking to impart a sense of social responsibility, fellow students are encouraged to guide their peers on the programme. Language and logic exercises are also conducted to provide them with relevant problem-solving skills.
In addition, TBF first-year students participate in a twoweek induction programme at the beginning of their academic year. Components include social activities in groups, life skills (time management, selfknowledge and adapting to university life), foundation in mathematics, foundation in accounting, study skills and a residential programme.
UJ’s transformation efforts have made it one of the biggest contributors of first-time African black candidate chartered accountants in SA. UJ’s Department of Accountancy is committed to helping drive gender equity and has seen a significant increase in the number of female accounting students in recent years. More than half of the lecturers at the department are female.
STUDENTS ON THE PROGRAMME ARE ENCOURAGED TO STAY TOGETHER IN A UJ RESIDENCE