Minister Blade Nzimande: Education World Forum

• Published date: 24 May 2022
• Publication title: South African Official News

new Constitution.

The objectives of the NQF are still standing to facilitate access to, and mobility and progression in, education and training and career paths; accelerate redress, and enhance quality and transparency - for the benefit of individual learners and social and economic development at large.

The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) is mandated to oversee the implementation and further development of the NQF, and to coordinate the three NQF Sub-Frameworks: the General and Further Education and Training Qualifications Sub-Framework (GFETQSF), the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework (HEQSF) and the Occupational Qualifications Sub-Framework (OQSF).

I am pleased to report to this meeting today that there has been progress towards achieving the NQF objectives, especially regarding access, redress, quality and transparency.

I want to specifically focus on 2 mechanisms to ensure that learners have access and follow learning pathways, viz. RPL and Articulation.

Long-term research and development reveals extensive RPL practices and some Credit Accumulation and Transfer (CAT) within and between sub-frameworks is forthcoming. A National Articulation Baseline Study (SAQA-Durban University of Technology [DUT], 2020) shows articulation initiatives that exist between Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

Research and development have included understanding and supporting learning and-work pathways for sustainable development and other emerging fields and an investigation into the student needs for, and the development of, flexible learning and teaching practices.

Our extensive well-developed policy environment enables coordination of RPL and articulation, and SAQA policies together with the Quality Council counterpart policies, support flexible learning pathways.

Learners therefore have options to follow, from school into any of the offerings in our post-school education and training system, viz. universities, TVET colleges and skills development programmes that are also offered by CET colleges, SETAs and industry.

Since the establishment of the NQF, qualifications, to be registered on the NQF, must be located in articulated learning pathways and must provide for RPL. Professional bodies must provide RPL routes to their professional designations.

To study further or work in the country on the basis of foreign qualifications held, requires submitting these qualifications to SAQA for...