The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) is considering the possibility of propagating its BSc. Degree in Applied Accounting among South Asian countries.
Speaking during the inauguration of the second intake of the BSc. (Applied Accounting) General/Special degree, CA Sri Lanka President Arjuna Herath said, “we should promote this degree internationally, and as a first step in realizing this endeavor, we must market the degree programme initially to students in the SAARC region,” he said.
The BSc. Degree in Applied Accounting which was launched in 2013 is CA Sri Lanka’s first ever degree and is approved by the University Grants Commission (UGC)on par with any other General /Special degree awarded by local universities in Sri Lanka.
Speaking further, Herath asserted that fresh efforts will be taken to popularize the CA Sri Lanka BSc. (Applied Accounting) degree among advanced level students who are aspiring for a career in accounting. “There is a dearth at present for professionally qualified accountants and this is obvious by the large number of advertisements we see advertising for qualified accountants and finance managers,” he said, while adding that the degree as well as CA Sri Lanka’s professional qualification in chartered accountancy will continue to address this dearth by producing fully proficient accountants and finance managers to the country.
He reiterated that CA Sri Lanka was the only professional organization in the country that offered both a recognized professional qualification and a degree in accounting.
Dr. Sunil Jayantha Nawaratne, Secretary to the Ministry of Higher Education, delivering the keynote speech emphasized the need for undergraduates to be vigilant about the continuous changes taking place globally in the higher educational arena.
Dr. Nawaratne also highlighted that accountants and finance managers today hold prestigious and responsible positions across the corporate. “This is because of the sheer commitment and sacrifice they make during their higher studies,” he said while adding that commitment and dedication was imperative if one is to become a worthy person to society.
The CA Sri Lanka BSc.(Applied Accounting) is open for students with three passes (in any subject stream) at the GCE Advanced Level examination or any other equivalent qualification acceptable by the UGC.
The degree is designed under two stages, namely the general degree programme which will be conducted over a period of three years covering six semesters and or the special degree which will be conducted over a period of four years covering eight semesters.
The primary aim of the degree programme is to create employable graduates with the required knowledge skills, and attitudes to fulfill a successful accounting career. Upon completion, students will gain extensive knowledge and required skills in accounting practices, as this is the only degree programme in Sri Lanka that enables students to gain knowledge in the field of ‘Applied Accounting.’
The degree is conducted in English and is designed on the core subject disciplines of financial accounting, management accounting and financial management. In addition, there are several sub-core disciplines which are quantitative and management techniques, business economics, information and communication technology, management and law. The auxiliary discipline is business communication.
