The Malappuram District Panchayat has introduced a project that offers Class 12 students of Commerce stream a chance to earn while studying. Besides, this would be a first step towards securing admission in the Chartered Accountancy (CA) and Cost and Management Accounting (CMA) courses.

Around 225 students selected from various schools in the district are being given a 32-hour crash course in Goods and Service Tax (GST).

The project was flagged off after signing a memorandum of understanding with the Institute of Cost Accountants of India. The course has been designed to enable the students to help the traders in filing GST returns. Besides, internship opportunities too would be provided. Moreover, this crash course would pave the perfect foundation for the students who wish to pursue CA or CMA courses.

Two-round screening
In the first phase, a 25-minute primary test of 20 questions was conducted in all the higher secondary schools in the district. Those who scored first three places had to attend a 50-minute exam of 40 questions in the second round. The final 225 students were selected from this.

The classes are conducted on holidays at various centres in the four educational districts of Malappuram. The training sessions will end in January.

There will be a final exam and the successful candidates would be given certificates.

The students would get opportunities to do internship with Chartered Accountants and Cost Accountants. They could even earn up to Rs 10,000 as stipend depending upon their skills. The course is completely free of cost.

The institute in Malappuram that associates with the Institute of Cost Accounts of India is offering the training. PK Muhammad Irshad is the coordinator of the project.

“It is a first in the country that a district panchayat is conducting a course like this by signing a memorandum of understanding with the Institute of Cost Accounts of India. The authorities of the institute have promised to expand the course by including more students if the current sessions are successful,” says MK Rafeeka, District Panchayat President, Malappuram.