KKU Hosts Coordination Council Meeting for Accountants - King Khalid University

The College of Business, represented by the Accounting Department at King Khalid University, hosted a coordination meeting that brought together the Saudi Organization for Chartered and Professional Accountants (SOCPA) and the heads of accounting departments from various Saudi universities.

In his opening speech, the Dean of the College of Business, Dr. Abdulrahim Zaher Mashari, welcomed the university's guests. He emphasized that this council is a strategic step to strengthen the partnership with SOCPA and develop the accounting profession in the Kingdom. He noted that the college will work to transform the council's outcomes into actionable plans to improve the student experience and develop academic programs.

The head of the college's Accounting Department, Dr. Ali Abdulmutali, explained that the meeting included a comprehensive presentation on SOCPA's key initiatives in professional education and qualification, including the "Jahizia" program, educational curricula, reference books, and professional performance reports. He stressed the importance of partnering with universities to prepare a generation of accountants capable of meeting the demands of the modern profession.

The meeting discussed several topics, most notably the alignment of university curricula with professional competency matrices and job requirements. They also reviewed the statistical report on professional exam results and explored the possibility of exempting some students from specific subjects if their course outcomes align with SOCPA's standards. Cooperation in developing academic references and updating the question bank for professional exams was also discussed.

A session was also held with the faculty members of the Accounting Department, where they raised several academic challenges, including cooperative training and connecting students with practical environments that simulate the job market. They also discussed mechanisms for benefiting from the "Jahizia" program as a practical bridge to prepare students before they enter their professional lives.

At the conclusion of the meeting, participants stressed that such coordination meetings build strategic bridges of communication between the academic sector and the professional community. They contribute to raising the quality of accounting education and expanding the number of professionally certified individuals, which in turn enhances the standing of the accounting profession and its role in achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.