WSU accreditation: a massive boost for the Eastern Cape

There was joy in Mthatha today as students, academics, members of the chartered accountancy profession, government officials and VIP guests gathered at Walter Sisulu University’s (WSU) Great Hall to celebrate the accreditation of the university’s BCompt (Accounting Sciences) undergraduate degree by SAICA.

Speaking at the celebratory event, Ms Chantyl Mulder, SAICA’s Executive Director: Nation Building, expressed her pride and excitement as well as the chartered accountancy profession’s satisfaction at the institution’s achievement, and congratulated the team who made WSU’s accreditation possible through collaboration, partnership and hard work.

‘SAICA’s expectation is that, on average, it takes between five and seven years of hard work, funding, partnership and commitment from top leadership all the way down to students for a historically disadvantaged institution (HDI) like WSU to acquire and develop the necessary resources to deliver a quality undergraduate degree meeting the SAICA accreditation review process. By achieving this in just five years, the WSU accreditation partners have done an outstanding job of collaboration towards the betterment of our youth.’

In particular, she praised the collaboration with the University of Cape Town (UCT): ‘WSU’s undergraduate degree accreditation would not have been possible without the partnership entered into between UCT and WSU to provide the appropriate capacity-building support and development of staff. Staff from both universities must be congratulated on this achievement, as it is a direct result of their willingness to collaborate and learn from one another that accreditation has been achieved.’

It is also worth noting that projects like these do not come cheap, Mulder added. She thanked the National Skills Foundation (NSF) for their continued financial support in making WSU’s journey to accreditation possible.

Mulder says: ‘When this project began in 2012 it supported 125 students. To date, the project has funded 725 students as a direct result of this initiative. As of 2018, two cohorts of students have reached the final year of this four-year degree and graduated successfully. With an overall view pass rate (across all four years) of 75%, the project has contributed significantly towards skills development in the province.’

Her sentiments were echoed by Professor Rob Midgley, WSU Vice-Chancellor. ‘This accreditation is a significant achievement for WSU because it demonstrates the excellence that is within our staff members. This accreditation was very laborious and lengthy but we achieved the high standards set by SAICA and attained accreditation.’

The Eastern Cape MEC for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Bulelwa Tunyiswa applauded SAICA and its strategic partners for their commitment to support the Government in achieving the country’s growth and development goals: ‘The provincial government expresses its gratitude to all the partners responsible for making the SAICA accreditation of Walter Sisulu University’s BCompt (Accounting Sciences) degree possible. We pledge that the people of this province, led by this university, will continue to support each other to make sure that this accreditation becomes even more successful so that people who want to be chartered accountants do not have to leave this province to pursue their dreams. To the youth, takes this opportunity and use it wisely.’

According to the terms of WSU’s accreditation status, any student graduating with a WSU BCompt (Accounting Science) undergraduate degree from 2017 onwards should be eligible to study for their postgraduate degree (known as CTA, or equivalent) without needing to complete a bridging course or programme at another university that offers such SAICA-accredited programmes, provided that they meet the entry requirements of that university.

The benefits of WSU’s accreditation extend far beyond the university and its students.

‘The primary and most important benefit of SAICA accreditation is to ensure that there is sustainable capacity in the rural communities of South Africa to provide the same quality of education that is available in the rest of the country. We are delighted to note that this initiative will ensure that aspiring chartered accountants [CAs(SA)] can stay in the Eastern Cape to pursue their qualification instead of migrating to one of the country’s three major economic provinces to look for opportunities. In so doing, we are consistently building a case for skills development in communities that need empowerment.

Mulder adds that, ‘with the accreditation of WSU, five of South Africa’s six HDIs have now achieved accreditation for their undergraduate BCom CA-stream degrees. This, in turn, contributes towards the National Development Plan transformation initiatives by increasing the number of black CAs(SA) not only in the Eastern Cape but also in South Africa.’

‘The SAICA accreditation process is a rigorous and extensive one,’ explains Ms Mandi Olivier, Senior Executive for Professional Development at SAICA. Because of the infrastructure and staffing difficulties that HDIs like WSU face, it can also be a long process:

‘In order for a programme to achieve accreditation from SAICA, we undertake a rigorous academic review process to assess whether the university’s specific programme(s) leading to the CA(SA) designation qualification have the necessary resources (financial and other) in place to deliver a quality programme.’

She continues: ‘The purpose of the accreditation process is to establish that the criteria for an accredited academic programme are being met, and that they also meet the Council of Higher Education’s (CHE) definition of being a “purposeful and structured set of learning experiences that lead to a qualification.” Accreditation by SAICA is over and above other regulatory requirements from the Department of Higher Education and Training that first have to be met by these providers.’

According to Olivier: ‘SAICA seeks to establish whether or not the programme meets the appropriate national and international educational standards of the chartered accountancy [CA(SA)] designation, and ensures the delivery of competent CAs(SA) with relevant skills to the market place. Having undertaken the formal accreditation process, we are satisfied that WSU’s undergraduate degree has the necessary resources to meet the required standards.’

SAICA, South Africa’s pre-eminent accountancy body, is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading accounting institutes. The Institute provides a wide range of support services to more than 46 000 members and associates who are chartered accountants [CAs(SA)], as well as associate general accountants [AGAs(SA)] and accounting technicians [ATs(SA)], who hold positions as CEOs, MDs, board directors, business owners, chief financial officers, auditors and leaders in every sphere of commerce and industry, and who play a significant role in the nation’s highly dynamic business sector and economic development.

One of SAICA’s prime goals is to contribute towards strengthening the country’s economy by playing a significant and leading role in transformation and skills development. The Thuthuka Education Upliftment Project, a pioneering initiative to promote transformation in the profession, was launched in the Eastern Cape in 2002 and has grown into a national project.

Thuthuka’s objective is to transform the demographics of the profession to reflect those of the country in terms of race and gender, and provide educational support to African learners and students for the benefit of the profession, while simultaneously helping to uplift communities. Therefore, SAICA prides itself in leading the chartered accountancy profession as a socially responsible driver of business and skills development by supporting and encouraging enterprise development initiatives.

Ms Karin Jacobsen
Project Manager: Marketing and Communications
SAICA Nation Building Division
Tel: ‪011 621 6913
Email: ***@saica.co.za

Mr Kulani Chauke
Corporate Communications Co-Ordinator, Marketing & Communications (SAICA)
Tel: 011 479 0698
Email: ***@saica.co.za