Questions, queries, quibbles and quarrels

Abstract

The South African Qualifications Authority was promulgated by enabling legislationthrough the SAQA Act (59 of 1995). The mandate of SAQA is quite simply to establishand maintain the National Qualifications Framework or NQF. This is a structure derivedafter study and investigation of a number of similar systems internationally, especiallyin the USA, UK (more specifically Scotland), Australia and New Zealand. Note that allthe countries used as exemplars are developed countries. The philosophy underlyingthis process emanates from the avowed intention to shift thinking from education foremployment to education about employability - to be effected via the critical crossfield outcomes, thus OBE. The upside of the process has been that SAQA has laudableaims and objectives and is democratic with a strong emphasis on relevance. Someserious hiccups in the system have led to the setting-up of the NQF Study Team beingappointed to scrutinise the activities and functionality of the NQF, and to ensure thatthe work of SAQA be streamlined and accelerated. The SAQA structure as devised isnot user-friendly to higher education institutions. The recommendation by the StudyTeam, that issues dealing with higher education should be transferred to the appropriatestructures, is strongly supported. This would make it possible, for example, to have amore flexible and workable structure of qualifications and concomitant level descriptors.