Al-Farabi Kazakh National University Hosts the «Best Aspiring Accountant – 2026» Student Case Championship

On 10 November 2026, the Higher School of Economics and Business of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University hosted the “Best Aspiring Accountant – 2026” student case championship dedicated to Accountants’ Day of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The championship was held in line with the objective of improving the quality of education outlined in the Address of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, to the people of Kazakhstan dated 27 October 2026. It was also organised within the framework of Sustainable Development Goal 4, “Quality Education,” and the Memorandum of Cooperation between Tochnyi Uchet LLP and the Department of Finance and Accounting of the Higher School of Economics and Business at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.

The main purpose of the competition was to identify students with strong practical knowledge of accounting and taxation and to develop their skills in analysing source documents, identifying and correcting accounting errors, preparing accounting entries, calculating taxes, and substantiating professional decisions.

At the opening ceremony, the first welcoming remarks were delivered by Meruert Zhumabayevna Daribayeva, Head of the Department of Finance and Accounting, PhD, Assistant Professor. She wished the participants success and highlighted the importance of practice-oriented events in developing students’ professional competencies. Marina Andreyevna Lyapina, Director of Tochnyi Uchet LLP, and Bakyt Bitakhanovna Sultanova, Candidate of Economic Sciences and Associate Professor at the Department of Finance and Accounting, also delivered welcoming remarks. They emphasised the importance of combining theoretical knowledge with the solution of specific practical tasks in the training of future accountants.

Almira Zaurembekovna Arystambayeva, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Finance and Accounting, then introduced the students to the competition procedure and stages, the time allocated for completing the assignments, the assessment criteria, and the requirements to be observed when solving the case.

Under the case championship regulations, applications were accepted from fourth-year students enrolled in the “6B04105 – Accounting and Audit” educational programme. A total of 15 students took part in the competition: eight from the Kazakh-medium group and seven from the Russian-medium group.

The case championship consisted of two stages. At the first stage, the participants had two hours to complete a written practical case on the accounting and taxation of a hypothetical company. The tasks included reviewing source documents, identifying accounting errors, preparing accounting entries, reconciling records with bank data, calculating value-added tax, and preparing a brief summary report for the head of the organisation.

Based on the assessment of the written submissions, the five students with the highest scores advanced to the second stage. In the final round, they defended their solutions before the panel of judges and answered professional questions.

The judges assessed the accuracy of the participants’ calculations, the soundness of their accounting entries, their ability to identify errors, the accuracy of their tax calculations, the quality of their presentations, and the completeness of their answers to the questions posed.

Based on the combined results of the written assignment and oral defence, the prize-winning places were awarded as follows:

• First place — Nargiz Abdullayeva;

• Second place — Aizere Tokan;

• Third place — Dana Mukhtarkyzy.

The first-place winner receives a cash prize of KZT 30,000, the second-place winner KZT 25,000, and the third-place winner KZT 20,000. In addition, the prize winners were offered an opportunity to undertake a paid internship at Tochnyi Uchet LLP and further develop their professional skills.

The “Best Aspiring Accountant – 2026” case championship enabled students to apply their theoretical knowledge to realistic practical situations and to develop professional judgement, responsibility, and decision-making skills. Events of this kind strengthen cooperation between the university and employers and contribute to preparing future accountants and auditors in line with the contemporary requirements of the labour market.