By Chisomo Phiri
The Society of Internal Auditing Students ( SIAS) at the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences ( Mubas) held a colourful ceremony to welcome the new year students that have been selected into the program this year.
Speaking at the ceremony which was being held in the university’s auditorium room on Friday, SIAS patron Mike Sambakunsi encouraged the new students to work hard and be focused on their studies.
Sambakunsi reminded the students to always know themselves and where they are coming from and avoid copying what others do on campus.
“How someone studies or understands something is not the same with everyone.You have to know how you do your things,”he said.
In his remarks, the Society’s President and a third year internal auditing student Ketson Kayuni emphasized much on the mental health of the students on campus.
Kayuni advised the new students to always speak out and report to the relevant authorities whenever things are not going well.
Said Kayuni“at the university, you will encounter different situations, both good and bad. Whenever you meet challenges, report to any executive member and you will be helped. Never feel like you are alone.
The President further urged the students to be better than their past selves.
“As an auditor, make sure you set a competition with your past self, make sure you are a better person today than you were yesterday, do not compete with people,”he said.
Adam Alfred, who is in his final level of internal auditing studies at the university shared his experience on how it has been for him to reach the final level.
He encouraged the new students to always work hard if they are to achieve a lot in academic life.
“You need to work hard. Remember, not everyone who has started this noble program will finish it. Some will be weeded for their underperformance,” said Alfred.
One of the country’s renowned Auditors who works with CDH Bank as Audit Manager Christopher Ngwira also shared his life experience until he became an auditor.
Ngwi explained what took him to become an auditor since he did not do an internal audit degree in first place.
“It is possible to become an auditor though you might be doing a different program” he encouraged.
The society holds the function every year to welcome the new students in an internal auditing program with hope.
Among others, the event provides detailed information about the internal audit program, motivates and gives the new students skills on how they can make it.
Offered under the faculty of Commerce, students enrolled in the Bachelor of Commerce (Internal Audit) degree, also known as BCOMIA are being trained to take on such professions as auditing and risk management in the private and public sectors.
The degree is in response to the demands from both the private and public sectors for personnel with the requisite training in auditing, risk assessment and anti-fraud techniques.