Questions, queries, quibbles and quarrels

The South African Qualifications Authority was promulgated by enabling legislation through the SAQA Act (59 of 1995). The mandate of SAQA is quite simply to establish and maintain the National Qualifications Framework or NQF. This is a structure derived after study and investigation of a number of...

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Main Author: Annette Combrink
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Johannesburg 2022-10-01
Series:Communicare
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/jcsa/article/view/1818
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author Annette Combrink
author_facet Annette Combrink
author_sort Annette Combrink
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description The South African Qualifications Authority was promulgated by enabling legislation through the SAQA Act (59 of 1995). The mandate of SAQA is quite simply to establish and maintain the National Qualifications Framework or NQF. This is a structure derived after study and investigation of a number of similar systems internationally, especially in the USA, UK (more specifically Scotland), Australia and New Zealand. Note that all the countries used as exemplars are developed countries. The philosophy underlying this process emanates from the avowed intention to shift thinking from education for employment to education about employability - to be effected via the critical crossfield outcomes, thus OBE. The upside of the process has been that SAQA has laudable aims and objectives and is democratic with a strong emphasis on relevance. Some serious hiccups in the system have led to the setting-up of the NQF Study Team being appointed to scrutinise the activities and functionality of the NQF, and to ensure that the work of SAQA be streamlined and accelerated. The SAQA structure as devised is not user-friendly to higher education institutions. The recommendation by the Study Team, that issues dealing with higher education should be transferred to the appropriate structures, is strongly supported. This would make it possible, for example, to have a more flexible and workable structure of qualifications and concomitant level descriptors.
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spelling doaj-art-2172fc77790c441986917883472125452025-01-20T08:50:38ZengUniversity of JohannesburgCommunicare0259-00692957-79502022-10-0121210.36615/jcsa.v21i2.1818Questions, queries, quibbles and quarrelsAnnette Combrink0Northwest University The South African Qualifications Authority was promulgated by enabling legislation through the SAQA Act (59 of 1995). The mandate of SAQA is quite simply to establish and maintain the National Qualifications Framework or NQF. This is a structure derived after study and investigation of a number of similar systems internationally, especially in the USA, UK (more specifically Scotland), Australia and New Zealand. Note that all the countries used as exemplars are developed countries. The philosophy underlying this process emanates from the avowed intention to shift thinking from education for employment to education about employability - to be effected via the critical crossfield outcomes, thus OBE. The upside of the process has been that SAQA has laudable aims and objectives and is democratic with a strong emphasis on relevance. Some serious hiccups in the system have led to the setting-up of the NQF Study Team being appointed to scrutinise the activities and functionality of the NQF, and to ensure that the work of SAQA be streamlined and accelerated. The SAQA structure as devised is not user-friendly to higher education institutions. The recommendation by the Study Team, that issues dealing with higher education should be transferred to the appropriate structures, is strongly supported. This would make it possible, for example, to have a more flexible and workable structure of qualifications and concomitant level descriptors. https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/jcsa/article/view/1818SAQANational Qualifications Framework or NQFphilosophyshift thinkingeducationemployment
spellingShingle Annette Combrink
Questions, queries, quibbles and quarrels
Communicare
SAQA
National Qualifications Framework or NQF
philosophy
shift thinking
education
employment
title Questions, queries, quibbles and quarrels
title_full Questions, queries, quibbles and quarrels
title_fullStr Questions, queries, quibbles and quarrels
title_full_unstemmed Questions, queries, quibbles and quarrels
title_short Questions, queries, quibbles and quarrels
title_sort questions queries quibbles and quarrels
topic SAQA
National Qualifications Framework or NQF
philosophy
shift thinking
education
employment
url https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/jcsa/article/view/1818
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