During the first quarter of 2022, the University of South Africa (Unisa) was the subject of numerous media reports about the accreditation of its Accounting Sciences programmes.
Amid the alleged claims that the institution’s programmes were not fully accredited, Unisa assured its students, both past and present, that their accounting programmes are accredited by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA).
However, on a visit to the institution, SAICA identified several areas of improvement and Unisa then submitted plans address the matters outlined in the SAICA report.
Unisa stated that the institution worked hard to address the areas of improvement which were raised by SAICA in their report last year and that SAICA conducted its follow-up visit on 12 October 2022.
In a statement, Unisa Vice-Chancellor Puleng LenkaBula, announced that the institution recently received confirmation from SAICA that programme offerings of the university’s College of Accounting Sciences have been moved from a previous rating of three to continued full accreditation.
“This means that SAICA has continued its affirmation of Unisa’s Accounting Sciences qualifications as they meet the expected requirements,” said LenkaBula.
LenkaBula elaborated that Unisa and SAICA saw each other as partners who actively engaged on quality assurance processes to ensure that the university’s Accounting Sciences qualifications stand the test of time.
SAICA reported the outcomes of its interaction with Unisa to its Academic and Professional Programme Subcommittee (APPSC) and the Initial Professional Development Committee (IPDC), both of whom assessed the actions taken by the university in response to the recommendations contained in the initial reports earlier this year (2022).
Following the review, both committees concluded that Unisa’s actions in relation to the improvement plans were adequate solutions to the earlier suggestions.
As a result, the following Accounting Sciences programmes offered by Unisa continue to be accredited:
- Bachelor of Accounting Sciences in Financial Accounting
- Advanced Diploma in Accounting Sciences
- Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting Sciences (bridging)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Accounting Sciences
Unisa said it will continue to work with SAICA to promote and enhance quality assurance, monitor progress on improvement plans, and ensure that Unisa’s Accounting Sciences programme offerings remain relevant.
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