Big changes ahead for education, training system

The Education Department has the National Qualifications Framework Bill, the Higher Education Amendment Bill and the General and Further Education and Training Amendment Bill all vying for your bedtime reading delight.

Depending on whom you ask, the review of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) took between three and seven years. It was finally resolved with the joint statement by ministers Naledi Pandor and Membathisi Mdladlana late last year.

Stories on in-fighting

Stories of in-fighting between education and labour department officials were officially denied – but there was no explanation given for the extensive time taken to finalise the review. The joint statement is really an agreement for a trial separation. Not exactly a divorce, but not happily married either.

The Education Department will retain full control over its sphere of influence (schools, further education training [FET] colleges, universities) and the Labour Department will set up its own quality assurance body to administer occupationally-based, or workplace, training.

The original idea of the NQF was to bring education and training into one system that would allow for articulation (movement up the framework and between streams) and bring standardisation with nationally recognised qualifications.

It all seemed wonderful in the halcyon days of the fledgling ‘New South Africa', but it has never realised its full potential.

One of the biggest problems is what is described by Professor Merlyn Mehl as the ‘lack of parity of esteem'. In theory, a learnership on NQF level 5 should allow a learner who successfully completes it to move onto a degree at university, which is considered Level 6 on the NQF. However, many universities have refused to allow these learners to enter into degrees.

Not unique to SA

The problem isn't unique to South Africa. Speaking at a conference in Cape Town in 2005, a representative from Ireland's body that manages their national qualifications framework recounted similar experiences with universities frustrating the process.

The Labour Department has issued the Skills Development Amendment Bill for public comment, which will be the second time that the original act has been amended since 1998.

The first amendment gave the Minister of Labour more power to intervene with those Sector Education Training Authorities (SETAs) that are not performing well. He's certainly needed that power! Many SETAs have performed well but others have been bogged down with stakeholder squabbling, poor corporate governance and financial irregularities.

The former CEO of the Transport SETA, Dr Piet Bothma is to face trial this year charged with taking irregular payments in relation to the Fidentia debacle. And the media SETA, Mappp, is currently under administration as the previous board was removed by the Labour minister. Hardly the kind of stories to inspire faith in the SETA system.

This second amendment to the act will bring about a number of changes, the most important of which will be the establishment of the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations, or QCTO. The intention is to reduce the administrative burden relating to training provider accreditation and target workplace training to meet skills needs.