KOTA SAMARAHAN: University Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) at University House, Unimas in Kota Samarahan yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to offer Undergraduate in Accountancy and Chartered Accountant (CA) qualifications.
Unimas Vice Chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Mohamad Kadim Suaidi said that the collaboration started in November 2018 when delegates from ICAS, through the efforts of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants president Dr Salihin Abang and the Association of Malay Chartered Accountants Firm Malaysia, held a discussion with Unimas Faculty of Economic and Business members on potential collaboration and cooperation in professional education, training and development.
“Unimas and ICAS now intends to develop and deliver innovative partnership education models in conjunction with authorised training firms to offer an Undergraduate in Accountancy and Chartered Accountant (CA) qualification,” he stated in his speech yesterday at Unimas.
He further added that the main agenda of the MoU is to strengthen the existing curriculum of Unimas’ accounting degree in terms of quality of content, delivery and assessment with the ultimate goal of providing Unimas students a pathway to the ICAS professional qualification.
ICAS executive director Professor Mark Allison spoke in his speech that ICAS is the only institute in the United Kingdom and one of the few around the world that is a teaching and examining institute.
“We have our own teaching faculty, create our own teaching materials and we teach our students in the same consistent way in every city that we taught in the UK,” he said.
He added that they had visited University Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) last Wednesday and the National University of Malaysia (UKM) last Thursday and they will also visit University of Science Malaysia (USM), Penang on April 16 and University Utara Malaysia, Kedah on April 17.
“The aim of this memorandum is to explore areas for cooperation and collaboration such as research, academic and staff engagement,” Allison said.
Kadim also mentioned that students doing the Unimas degree would be groomed to attempt and pass the ICAS examination papers.
“With the ICAS qualification in hand, a student would only need to complete three years of relevant experience before applying to become a full member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) to add even more value to the existing Unimas accounting degree and make it more attractive to potential students, especially those interested in pursuing the commercial programme.
“I believed Unimas and ICAS will move towards innovative academic culture as well as research spirit. As such, the present collaboration will continue to be promoted rigorously by both parties,” he said.
Also present at the MoU signing ceremony were ICAS director Ann Lamb, Unimas Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic and International) Professor Dr Fasihuddin Badruddin Ahmad and Unimas Faculty of Economics and Business Dean Associate Professor Michael Tinggi.
