Realizing the Power of PAOs Workshop

Accountancy education involves many different elements, from syllabus development to producing learning materials, from establishing tuition arrangements to delivering examinations and requiring practical experience. It can take years to build the foundation for a professional qualification, and while PAOs may not have the legal authority for every aspect of accountancy education, they play a key role in supporting educational programs and delivering qualifications.

To support PAOs and this central role they play, more than 80 professional accountancy organization (PAO) representatives from 25 countries came together for a half-day, interactive workshop to discuss accountancy education successes and challenges. The workshop, organized by IFAC and the Pan African Federation of Accountants, and held alongside the 4th Africa Congress of Accountants in Kampala, Uganda.

The workshop generated discussion on PAO efforts to design, develop and maintain their professional qualifications, as well as IFAC member organizations’ work to adopt and implement the International Education Standards (IES)—a requirement for all IFAC members as part of IFAC’s Statements of Membership Obligation—issued by the International Accounting Education Standards Board.

Facilitated by IFAC PAO Development Committee members, workshop participants navigated:

• pathways to entry and enrollment requirements;
• branding and marketing qualifications;
• syllabus content, learning materials, and tuition arrangements;
• examination content, delivery, and marking and administration;
• practical experience requirements and delivery arrangements; and
• continuing professional development (CPD) to keep members’ knowledge current.

The stories told and lessons learned provided useful insight and demonstrate PAOs’ ability to drive positive change and introduce international good practice regardless of their unique country circumstances.