The Indian Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAI) and the Central Board of Secondary Education will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on February 8, 2024. The MoU will mark the beginning of ICAI and CBSE’s partnership to provide career counselling about the Chartered Accountancy (CA) degree and job opportunities after completion of the programme.
The announcement was made at the ICAI’s National Education Summit on Commerce and Accountancy (NES-CA), which took place in New Delhi from January 22 to 23. Through this collaboration, the ICAI will develop course content for CBSE-affiliated schools through modules and videos that will educate them about career opportunities and the benefits of the CA programme. The partnership aims to promote awareness of the CA programme among school students.
During the inaugural session of NES-CA 2024, ICAI also launched study material “Aarambh: A Step Towards Financial Independence” in collaboration with the University Grants Commission (UGC). The study material enhances students’ financial resilience and fosters strong decision-making skills. It includes modules on the fundamentals of financial statements, taxation basics, investment planning, and retirement planning.
Speaking at the event, CA. Aniket Sunil Talati, President of ICAI, said:
I am thrilled to witness the transformative collaboration between ICAI and UGC. This partnership can potentially reshape our country’s educational landscape in alignment with the National Education Policy. With initiatives like ‘Arambh’ under the Board of Studies, we ensure every student has fundamental skills to navigate their financial journey. Our mission extends beyond individual success; we aim to address the challenges facing India today and, together, strive to make India an accounting Vishwaguru. I firmly believe, ‘Yahi Waqt hai, Sahi Waqt hai’ – Now is the right time for the CA profession to lead the way.
ICAI additionally entered into Memorandums of Understanding with 11 universities at NES-CA 2024, emphasising joint efforts in syllabus development, content creation, online and recorded lectures, and faculty development programmes.
Meanwhile, Prof. Deepak Kumar Srivastava lauded the institute for its “essential role in promoting financial transparency, accountability, and good governance.” He stated that UGC is closely working with Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs) and has recently issued guidelines to lay the foundation for integrating skilling into higher education at all levels and introducing short-term industry-relevant courses (certificate courses) in HEIs to bridge the skill gap.
Srivastava further added:
We need to prepare an ecosystem among accounting professionals equipped with multiple skills matching the requirements of the global job market.
