KAMPALA – The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU) has held its 11th graduation ceremony for students who completed the Certified Public Accountants of Uganda [CPA (U)] course, the Certified Tax Advisor (CTA) course and the Accounting Technicians Diploma (ATD) course, in 2018.
The ceremony, officiated by Vision Group’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Robert Kabushenga was held Wednesday, March 6, at Imperial Royale Hotel, Kampala.
A total of 461 men and women graduated this year compared to 354 in 2017.
Of these, 397 qualified for CPA (U), 41 for ATD while 23 qualified for CTA.
Mr. Charles Bahakwonka Byaruhanga, the Manager -Examinations at ICPAU, acknowledged that female candidates performed better than their male counterparts.
In the November 2018 examinations, the top students for most papers, including final paper – CPA Paper 18 Integration of Knowledge were all females.
He also noted that the highest pass rates are among students in the 18-29 years age bracket. “The pass rate is higher among the younger students, senior six leavers and fresh university graduates, who appear to be putting in more time to concentrate on the course,” CPA Byaruhanga said.
He advised aspiring accountants to undertake CPA while they still have more time at their disposal. This, he said, increases their chances of getting good opportunities for demonstrating one’s professional competencies.
Upon graduation, CPA (U) graduates become Associate Members of ICPAU, until they attain the required practical experience.
ICPAU has introduced the Practical Experience Training (PET) programme, partnering with employers. PET provides an opportunity for graduates to acquire relevant practical skills and document their experience under the guidance of a mentor, as a pre-requisite to be enrolled as professional accountants.
Long way but resilience helps!
In an interview with PML Daily, Mr. Alex Muhereza, one of the graduates, said that he believes CPA will open more doors for him since employers prefer to employ qualified accountants.
Mr. Muhereza, a sole proprietor says it is all about passion.
He, however, advised CPA students to be persistent, to utilise the study packs and to be open-minded.