Questions, queries, quibbles and quarrels: The SAQA experience

Abstract

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.