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Unisa's College of Accounting Sciences tackles ITC pass rate

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Keba Ramushwana

The decrease in the pass rate of the Initial Test of Competence (ITC) board examination is a severe discomfort to the College of Accounting Sciences (CAS). This discomfort cannot be left unattended even though the candidates eligible to write the ITC examination are no longer college students. Therefore, CAS runs a seven-day free ITC Exam Technique Workshop to help its former students with the examination. This year's workshop was held as a hybrid workshop from 3 to 9 June 2023 at Unisa's Senate Hall.

The ITC Exam Technique Workshop aims to assist candidates (former CAS students) with the relevant examination technique to prepare them for the ITC examination. According to Keba Ramushwana, Chair of the Department: Financial Governance, this college initiative aims to serve as a refresher course, especially for candidates who passed the CTA in the previous two academic years and are eligible to write the ITC examination.  

In keeping with the leading accountancy body in South Africa, SAICA (Institute of Chartered Accountants), the ITC is the standard-setting examination written after a student has completed an accredited Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Accountancy (PGDA). PGDA is commonly referred to as a certificate in the Theory of Accounting (CTA), and more than two thousand students from CAS have registered for the CTA programme and have written the ITC board examination.

"Once the students have passed our CTA programme, it is up to them to prepare themselves for the ITC exam held in January and June each year," said Ramushwana. "However, as a college, we want to help our students because we are worried about the recent drop in the pass rate. Although we are no longer directly involved in their studies, we want to contribute towards their dreams of becoming charted accountants (CA[SA])." She added: "Our lecturers are ready to go beyond the call of duty and sacrifice their weekends and studies to prepare former students."

CAS lecturers and aspiring accountants attending the ITC Exam Technique Workshop in preparation of the June ITC Board Exam

The workshop started on Saturday, during which the students had to write an examination and mark their work to see where they had gone wrong. Afterwards, lecturers went through the examination papers with the students to guide them in tackling the questions.

"As a CA(SA) and Unisa alumni, I can attest that my life changed when I passed the ITC board examination. We must assist the students to do better. The declining pass rates are a call for concern," Ramushwana stressed. "It is undisputed that Unisa has a huge role in transforming the SADC region's accounting profession; therefore, we must keep it as such. We must continue transforming the space and be the university of choice for all aspiring accountants," she emphasised.

The ITC Board Exam Technique Workshop started in 2019 as a college initiative. It was only offered as a physical workshop; however, it is now a hybrid event that goes beyond the borders of Gauteng to accommodate students from all regions. Although attendance has not been high, the college will continue to offer free workshops.

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* By Ntsako Mohlaba, Communications and Marketing Specialist, College of Accounting Sciences

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Publish date: 2023/06/14

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