The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI Introduces New Syllabus

The Institute of company Secretaries of India introduces new syllabus for Executive and Professional Programmes. The revised syllabus of the Company Secretary course is effective from March 1, 2018. The first examination for CS Executive and CS Professional programme under new syllabus will be held in December 2018 and June 2019 respectively.

 The ICSI has constantly strived towards attaining academic excellence and in order to cater to the academic needs of the students and create a legion of ‘Governance Professionals’ who can serve the corporate world optimally, the Institute undertook the process of revising its syllabus and brought out a unique syllabus which encompasses the innovative concepts of Core, Ancillary and Hybrid Subjects. 

 The Core Subjects aim to create expertise in the future Governance Professionals and in view of this the following have been given emphasis- Company Law, Securities Laws, Insolvency Law, FEMA and GST. The Ancillary Subjects focus upon creation of working knowledge in order to provide support to the Core areas. The following areas are covered under the Ancillary- Accounts, Finance, Taxation, Economic, Business and Commercial Laws and Business and Financial Management. Lastly, Hybrid Subjects ensure integration of Core and Ancillary areas. The Hybrid subjects will cover - Setting up of Business, Governance, Risk and Compliance Management, Drafting, Pleadings and Appearances, Secretarial Audit and Due Diligence, Restructuring and Insolvency Resolution, Corporate Funding, Corporate Disputes etc. 

 Talking about the new syllabus, CS Makarand Lele, President ICSI said, “The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) have always strived to impart optimum knowledge to its students by undertaking revision of syllabus intensively from time to time. Further, Government programmes such as Make in India, Start-up India, Skill India and focus on Ease of Doing Business have created mammoth opportunities for Company Secretaries, which in turn have necessitated bringing out a syllabus which can assist the future governance professionals to align with the Government policies”.

The New Syllabus comprises of Eight papers at Executive Programme and Nine papers at Professional Programme including one Paper to be opted by the students out of eight elective papers namely, (i) Banking- Law & Practice; (ii) Insurance- Law & Practice; (iii) Intellectual Property Rights- Laws and Practices; (iv) Forensic Audit; (v) Direct Tax Law & Practice; (vi) Labour Laws & Practice; (vii) Valuations & Business Modelling and (viii) Insolvency- Law and Practice. Inclusion of the subject titled, ‘Multidisciplinary Case Studies’ will definitely be of immense academic value as it will assist phenomenally in developing the comprehension and analytical skills of the students in solving various critical issues that they may face in their professional career.

Highlights of New CS Syllabus:

·               Metamorphosis from theoretical to practical approach

·               Imbibing the innovative concept of Core Areas for Company Secretaries, Ancillary to Core - Areas allied to Core Areas and Hybrid - Combination of Core and Allied areas

·               Introduction of new subjects in Executive Programme and Professional Programme, like, Jurisprudence, Interpretation and General Laws; Setting up of Business Entities and Closure; Financial and Strategic Management etc.

·               Keeping in view the importance and contemporaryness; Elective Subjects have been included in the New Syllabus. Elective subjects focusing on Banking, Insurance, Valuation, Business Modelling, Insolvency, Labour Laws and Forensic Audit will go a long way in enhancing the professional opportunities for Company Secretaries

·               Inclusion of extremely relevant Post Membership Qualification and Certification Courses for the Company Secretaries who could not pursue a particular course of their choice when they were students

·               A judicious allocation of marks to different parts / components of the subjects of New Syllabus (Executive Programme and Professional Programme)