| Students’ Matters Revision of Stipend |
| We are really happy to inform our students that the Council at its recent meeting, keeping in view the prevailing inflation rate, felt a need for revising the existing stipend of articled assistants and decided to double it from its existing value. Accordingly, in order to implement the same, the relevant draft amendments in the Chartered Accountants Regulations, 1988 would be sent to the Central Government for approval, as the same would come into force after its approval: |
| PEE-II, PCE and IPCE Results |
| The ICAI recently announced the results of the examinations of PE II, PCE and IPCE held in May, 2010 on August 4, 2010. The pass percentages (both Groups) were 1.95, 13.5 and 12.28 in PE II, PCE and IPCE examinations respectively. Female Candidates Excel: There are two candidates at all-India first rank in the Professional Competence Examinations (PCE) held in May 2010 with 77.67 per cent marks and both of them are female students. Even the second-rank holder is a female student with 76.33 per cent marks. The two of the first three toppers, second and third, of the IPCE (Integrated Professional Competence Examination) held in May 2010 are again female students. The second topper with 76.00 per cent marks is very close to the first, i.e. 76.14 per cent. The pass percentage of female student in all examinations but in PE-II, is better than their male counterparts. Region-wise Performance: The percentage of students passed in PCE as well as in IPCE of the EIRC region was the best one among all regions, i.e. with 20.05 and 16.73 per cent respectively, while the WIRC was trailing behind on the second position with 13.71 per cent in the PCE and, surprisingly, the overseas was the second best in IPCE with 13. 64 per cent. CIRC was a close third, i.e. 13.29 per cent, in the PCE and WIRC got third rank with 12.84 per cent in the IPCE. |
| Decisions for PE-II and PCC Students |
| We are happy to inform our student community that the Council has considered the case of PE-II students especially in order to mitigate their hardship vis-à-vis their joining the CA course through PCC/IPCC route. PEII students having joined the course through all streams can now commence articled training in case they have passed any of the groups of PE-II examination instead of earlier requirement of passing both the groups. They will also be eligible to appear in the Final Examination during the last 12 months of articled training. In addition, such students shall be exempted from undergoing the Orientation Programme, on switching over to IPC course. Further, they shall not be charged any fee for switching over to IPC course, except Rs. 1,500 to cover the cost of study material and administrative charges, instead of Rs.4,000 at present. With a view to bring overall uniformity, students registered for Professional Competency Course (PCC) shall now be eligible to appear in the Final Examination during the last six months of the three and a half year period of articled training as against the earlier requirement of appearing in the Final Examination after completion of articled training. Further realising the difficulties faced by the students to complete the Information Technology Training (ITT) and Orientation Programme before appearing at the examination, it has been decided that all students would now be permitted to submit proof of their successful completion of ITT to the Examination Section before the commencement of the article training, instead of earlier requirement of submitting the said proof before appearing in the examination. However, this would not be applicable to the PCC students. However, it has been observed that many students are withdrawing their registration from ITT centres and they wish to complete the ITT and Orientation Programme before the commencement of the article training. In our opinion, all such students are advised to undergo ITT and Orientation Programme as early as possible, because this wouldn’t only help them in solving the questions posed in examinations in the IT paper but also release the pressure on the training centres. We have also decided that students with a permanent disability of 50 per cent or more and fulfilling the prescribed guidelines shall be exempted from the payment of fees for undergoing Orientation Programme and they shall neither be required to attend the course nor to pass the special test of three hours. We organised a joint meeting of the Examination Committee and faculty of the Board of Studies, wherein certain student-friendly decisions were taken. It was decided to host the suggested answers to the questions set in examinations within 25–30 days of the respective examinations. Further, it was decided that the study material should be made more application-oriented and case studies be included in various subjects like Accounting and Strategic Manegement. Steps are also being taken to present a more responsive and transparent examination system in students’ interests. We would like to thank the Council - particularly ICAI Secretary Shri T. Karthikeayn, Board of Studies Chairman CA. Vinod Jain and Board of Studies Director Shri Vijay Kapur - for playing a strategic role in the preparation and execution of the above-said decisions. This is also to inform that we are planning to propose a mega international conference in the third week of January 2011 in New Delhi. Exact dates will be announced later. We appeal to our professional fraternity to join in large number and make this a successful event. Let us recall what the Corporate Affairs Minister Shri Salman Khurshid had said on July 1 this year: Bring a change in your policy and bring at least 33 per cent women power before a lady joins in my position. Although uttered in humour, we cannot ignore its underlying serious implications on our profession and society. The truth cannot be kept aside. First educator of our family has to be an educated and empowered person. It is quite desirable that women running their homes and managing their accounts for ages must get a respectable share in the profession. Gender equality is a serious concern – both before profession and society. A better show of the female candidates in the examinations of PE II, PCE and IPCE held in 2010 is a sign of good hope in this direction. We appreciate this leap towards equality and sincerely wish the community success in its true and justified endeavours. Change in tradition, if constructive and positive, is never a distortion, and we should always welcome such a change. Weather, a symbol of change, is a justified metaphor for life too. Weather may be good or bad and nothing much could be done about this. Nowadays, it is raining day and night cats and dogs in the capital. American poet and columnist J. M. L. Hughes says: Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. We would like to wish everybody a happy rainy season with sound health. |
| Best Wishes |
| CA. AMARJIT CHOPRA President, ICAI August 27, 2010 |
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