International Education Standards (IES)

The study used a range of information sources and data developed, completed, or provided by representatives of STAREP countries and others involved in the STAREP Program to provide a comprehensive overview of accounting education programs and challenges in the six STAREP countries.

This Guide seeks to assist professional accountancy organizations, government agencies, and other regulators involved with the critical responsibility of setting, implementing, and enforcing appropriate requirements in the area of Continuing Professional Development for Accountants and Auditors.

The purpose of this toolkit is to assist countries integrate public sector accounting (PSA) into educational curricula by developing a pathway for the development of PSA professionals that is achievable and appropriate for the needs of individual countries. The toolkit is based on International Education Standards (IES) issued by the International Accounting Education Standards Board (IAESB) which serve as an international benchmark of good practice.

The Core Competency Framework presented in this document has been prepared to support Governments in implementing and sustaining reforms toward the adoption of accrual based accounting by defining the necessary competencies required by finance professionals to carry out such reforms. In doing so, the Framework provides guidance to the fundamental questions of “Who to train?”, “What to train?” and “To what extent to train?” when embarking on accrual based accounting reforms.

The guide supports transitioning accounting education, training, and certification from a knowledge-based approach to a competency-based approach. Underlying this shift is the expanding expectation for accountants to professional judgment in response to greater transaction complexity, interconnectedness of entities, and broader global influences.