lCAN asks Institutions to Invest More in Remote Learning Technology
The Institute has implored government and other institutions charged with capacity building in the country to increase their investments in technology to aid remote learning and facilitate a seamless transition to the new normal.
ICAN President Dame Onome Joy Adewuyi FCA who made the call in Kaduna on January 5, 2021 when she paid a courtesy visit to the Acting Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) TPL Ekpeyong Ekpoyong, said the increased investment in remote learning would help such institutions to adapt their learning models in response to the disruptions caused by the Corona virus pandemic.
She noted that the Institute’s review of the NBTE accounting curriculum revealed an urgent need to incorporate some recent developments in accounting and finance in polytechnics education, including the adoption by Nigeria of International Accounting Standards (lAS) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for the preparation and presentation of financial statements as well as changes in the Companies & Allied Matters Act (CAMA) and other Acts amended in the course of the years, among others. She however expressed the Institute’s willingness to partner with NBTE to achieve the laudable goal.
She noted that ICAN already embraced the change brought about by the new normal by “deliberately increasing their investment in technology to ensure that the challenge imposed by COVID-19 is seamlessly maneuvered, without significant negative impact on service delivery”. She stated that “most of the Institute’s technical, administrative and capacity building programmes are now conducted virtually in addition to face-to-face”.
She said that it was expedient for all professions to adjust to the changing situation in the world to ensure they remain relevant, pointing out that “the speed and spate of change across all professions require a conscious effort by all players in the respective professions to develop strategies that would ensure their continued relevance to the present reality”.
She further explained that international stakeholders have reposed strong confidence in the content of ICAN syllabus and this has made globally renowned accounting bodies, such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), to sign reciprocity agreements with the Institute on membership.
In his response, the Ag. Executive Secretary expressed appreciation to ICAN for reviewing the Accounting curriculum of Nigerian Polytechnics on its own, thereby contributing immensely to accountancy education. He promised to work with ICAN to ensure that the recommendations are implemented. He also solicited the assistance of ICAN in retraining the lecturers to enable them deliver the content as intended by ICAN.