Johannesburg – Central University of Technology, Free State, (CUT) has become the first higher education institution to offer a specific degree for students who want to become associate general accountant [AGA(SA)].
The primary role of an AGA is to enhance, drive and measure organisational value. Until recently, those who wanted to apply to be an AGA(SA) could only do so if they had completed a South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (Saica) CA(SA)-accredited undergraduate degree, and had successfully completed a Saica training contract, or four years’ relevant work experience, and had successfully completed Saica’s training equivalence assessment.
However, there is a new route to become an AGA(SA) – through the Saica AGA(SA)-accredited Bachelor of Management Sciences in Accountancy and the Bachelor of Management Sciences In Internal Auditing offered by the CUT. “The course, which is expected to have an intake of 100 students at CUT’s Bloemfontein campus and 40 students at its Welkom campus, becomes effective in respect of students who first enroll for this four-year programme in January next year.
“The department is looking forward to this newly established relationship with Saica, which will be to the benefit of our students and stakeholders,” said Léandi Steenkamp, the head of department: accounting and auditing at CUT.
Mandi Olivier, the senior executive in Saica’s pre-qualification professional development department, said one of Saica’s key roles was to accredit programmes that enabled students to access Saica’s various qualification routes.
“For programmes to be accredited by Saica, higher education providers undergo a rigorous and extensive process to ensure that their programme has the necessary resources in place to deliver a high-quality programme leading to an AGA(SA) qual i f ication,” Olivier said. “We are confident the degree is backed by the necessary resources to meet the standards set by Saica. On behalf of the institution, we congratulate the CUT team on this achievement.”
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