BRIEF OVERVIEW OF SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK

16 February 2006

The benefits of the building of trust

‘Trust’ is considered the cornerstone of the South African National Qualifications Framework (SANQF). The building of communities of trust has been particularly important in the context of the unresolved NQF review. Therefore, in the past year, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) has made a concerted effort to enhance and further develop the zones of mutual trust through a range of existing and new initiatives. There has been a particular effort to build relationships with CHE and Umalusi:

Joint implementation plans with a range of stakeholders, including Education and Training Quality Assurance bodies (ETQAs), government departments (e.g. DACST, DAC, DPLG), commissions, boards and councils to develop and register relevant qualifications for such sectors
Support to the Department of Education (DoE), particularly in relation to the registration of FETC qualifications, the Senior Certificate and the FETC Vocational qualifications, and the level 2, 3, and 4 qualifications that will be offered at the Further Education and Training Colleges
Pro-active approaches of including Umalusi and the CHE on interview panels for the appointment of key senior staff at SAQA so that minimal disruption and loss of capacity will occur should there be changes to the NQF architecture.
Task teams that include all principals and major stakeholders as appropriate, to assist with projects and key studies, e.g. Professional qualifications task team; the Level Descriptors task team, (10 levels accepted and NSB regulations with state law advisors) the SMME accreditation project task team, etc.
Joint submission to Parliament; joint forums, colloquiums, etc.

SAQA is also working closely with the CHE and Umalusi is in the process of developing a mutually acceptable approach to standards setting.
CHE and Umalusi representatives were invited to serve on SAQA’s NSB and ETQA Committees.

Government skills priorities and scarce skills

In the last two years, in particular, SAQA has focussed on government priorities and scarce skills in terms of qualification and unit standard development. These were generated in support of the expanded public works programmes, social development programmes, health education, engineering and other scarce skills needs, local economic development needs, crime and intelligence qualifications, good governance qualifications, qualifications that intend to alleviate poverty and that will enhance our democracy.

In addition, the Centre for the Evaluation of Educational Qualifications (CEEQ), foresees a 200% increase in requests for qualification evaluations. In a small sample (Aug 2005 – Feb 2006) it became evident that the country attracts applicants with commercial and business acumen (23% of the sample), engineers and scientists (48% of the sample) and educators (12% of the sample).

SAQA intends to be directly involved in the support of JIPSA.

Quality – the key challenge to education and training in South Africa

In the NQF Impact Study (SAQA, 2005), it became evident that most respondents indicated strong support for the implementation of quality assurance mechanisms, and indicated that the quality of education and training has improved because of them. However, the operationalization of quality assurance has been problematic. Most of the problems are associated with lack of capacity (mostly of ETQAs, but also of providers), contestation, overlapping of responsibilities, lack of meaningful MoUs, legislative anomalies and power struggles.

The Directorate of Quality Assurance and Development has monitored and audited all but three ETQAs in 2005. A qualitative and quantitative report on quality assurance of education and training in South Africa confirms the findings of the NQF Impact Study, namely that while there are deep concerns about quality assurance processes, there is satisfaction with quality assurance outcomes. There is strong support for the idea of quality standards and a belief that quality assurance is improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, in particular in relation to the design of meaningful learning pathways, articulation with other components of the education and training system and RPL.

Regional/SADC involvement

A significant development in the SADC region in terms of education and training and the mobility of learners and other individuals across the region, is the agreement that was reached in January 2006 that a SADC qualifications agency is to be established, which will form the basis of a regional qualifications framework.

The NQF Impact Study 2005

The NQF Impact Study is a world-first. No other country that has implemented an NQF, has as yet, attempted to measure the progress of their NQFs in such a comprehensive and empirical manner. As such, SAQA has set a standard for similar initiatives worldwide and has also provided South African policy makers with a rich source of information that can be used to inform future NQF developments. The Impact Study intends to support, in particular, evidence-based decision-making at all levels of the education and training system.

Unemployed graduates

The President alluded to a database of 60 000 unemployed graduates. SAQA has been involved with the verification of qualifications of a database of graduates and has only been able to match 9000 graduates on the National Learners’ Records Database (NLRD). It seems crucial to undertake a deeper analysis of the data.

Uptake of NQF registered qualifications

NQF registered qualifications generated through Standards Generating Bodies (SGBs) are allocated to ETQAs and in turn allocated to education and training providers. 91,2% of the 741 qualifications have been allocated.

As noted in the NQF Impact Study (SAQA, 2005): learners are undergoing education and training in relation to new NQF qualifications and the achievement will only become evident later.

One example of where the NQF is making a major impact is in improving the quality of financial advice. NQF registered qualifications and skills programmes and FAIS Act is working together to ensure that all financial advisors are appropriately qualified.

Capacity building

Much of the work of SAQA entails the capacity building of the implementers of the new education and training system. SAQA has arranged an array of capacity building initiatives, including giving support to international and regional implementers of national qualification frameworks, seminars, forums, etc.

Of particular importance is the establishment of the NQF Support Link and the NQF Community Gateway, which is intended to support specifically the FET re-capitalisation project.

The NQF Support Link comprises a set of learning programmes intended to strengthen the leadership of further education and training (FET) Colleges and other targeted organisations in making best use of the opportunities created by the NQF and the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS). To date the progress is as follows:

500 learners have registered for the capacity building programmes which includes:

250 FET colleges
103 Corporate learners
79 SAQA staff
44 Private institutions
12 Gov institutions
7 Self employed
5 SETAs

The NQF Gateway (launched 2005) provides an online entry point to NQF related information and services and already has over a 1000 subscribers to the site.

9. NQF Review

The SAQA Board at its 9 February 2006 meeting expressed its disquiet at the fact that they are continuing to fall outside of processes towards the resolution of the NQF Review. They are concerned that proposals may be based on assumptions about the NQF and SAQA of 4 years ago, which may no longer apply. They recall the Minister’s undertaking in December 2004 to engage them and they request the Minister consult with them sooner rather than later.

Joe Samuels

Acting EO: SAQA