Girl from Sakrand attains ACCA qualification at age of 18

Aqsa Memon is one of the youngest achievers of ACCA qualification in the world

KARACHI: In an age when students are trying to pass their intermediate or A-Levels, a young student from Sindh has achieved a greater feat.

Aqsa Majeed Memon, at the age of 18, has completed the Chartered Certified Accountant qualification granted by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), making her one of the youngest achievers of ACCA qualification in the world.

The girl, who originally hails from Sakrand, a small town in Shaheed Benazirabad district, said her achievement is a result of the collective efforts of her family, especially her father who ran a small family business in her hometown.



 

Route to ACCA

Memon told The Express Tribune that being disheartened after witnessing the culture of using unfair means in examination in Sakrand she decided to move to Karachi in 2014 to pursue further studies after matriculation.

Instead of doing intermediate, which is normally the next step in education after having completed matriculation, Memon decided to pursue ACCA certification. Thus, she enrolled in a system where the papers are set and checked outside the country with no room to employ unfair means. Living with her elder brother in a single-room apartment, she started her journey to attain ACCA qualification. A year later, her parents also shifted to Karachi to encourage her.

Having only completed matriculation, Memon had to clear seven foundation of accounting courses before she could attempt the ACCA qualification. She cleared the courses in nine months. Now, instead of 14 subjects, she had to pass 11 subjects to achieve ACCA qualification as due to the foundation course she was exempted from three courses. Without failing once in any subject, she accomplished the feat within two years.



"It was a challenging task but I was [determined to prove] my capability," said the achiever. "I used to study 12 to 14 hours during exam time and four to five hours on usual days."

 

Future plans

Her future plan is to get enrolled for the qualification of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan. The qualification, normally referred to as CA, requires clearing 21 courses, out of which Memon will get exemption in seven courses due to her ACCA qualification.

According to Memon, one needs to work tirelessly and believe in themself in order to achieve something extraordinary. Her advice to young students is to study as much as they can as it is the only way to prove their mettle.



"I am really proud of my daughter's achievement," says Memon's father, Abdul Majeed Memon. "I sacrificed my business for my children's education by shifting to Karachi. I can go up to any extent for their higher studies."