The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) joined countries in the South Asian region to celebrate the Accountancy Education Day on Friday, 10th November 2017, by inviting over 350 students sitting for the GCE Advanced Level examination to gain a better understanding on the accountancy subject as well as the benefits of pursuing chartered accountancy as a profession.
The event in Colombo brought together a panel of distinguished speakers including academics, as well as business leaders who shared important insights with the commerce stream students representing Colombo district schools. During the event, Prof. Samanthi Senaratne, Professor in Accounting of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura delivered a special lecture to the students, while Mr. Mahendra Jayasekera, Managing Director of Lanka Walltiles, and a Chartered Accountant by profession explained how the CA qualification helped him achieve greater professional success.
Vice President of CA Sri Lanka Mr. Jagath Perera, addressing the students stressed upon the requirement for aspiring Chartered Accountants to inculcate vital skills including soft skills, which is a requirement for professionals to carry out their duties in the current technologically savvy world.
Prof. Ariyarathna Jayamaha, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies of the University of Kelaniya, Mr. Sameera Anthony, Manager – Quality Assurance of BR De Silva & Co and well known lecturer and Chartered Accountant Mr. T. Dharmaraja, also addressed the students at the event.
The event also featured a panel discussion comprising aspiring chartered accountants, who are students following the CA Sri Lanka programme.
The Accountancy Education Day was celebrated in Colombo and other South Asian countries following a decision taken by the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) the apex body of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) and an acknowledged accountancy grouping of the International Federation of Accountants to celebrate the day across countries in the SAARC region, to further popularise accountancy education amongst students and other stakeholders.
