Transcript Document

Namibia Qualifications Authority
in Context
-Its Role in the Recognition of Experiential Learning….
Franz E. Gertze
Director
25 June 2007
PARIS
France
Knowledge application is the cutting edge in
Poverty eradication…
Education and Training in Namibia
• ONE Ministry for Education – multiple M/O/As deliver
• Towards Education for All
Access, Equity, Quality, Democracy and LLL
• Funding = 25% of National Budget
• Aligned to: Vision 2030 and NDP 2, MDGs etc
• Strategic plan for improvement and efficiency (ETSIP)
• Formal, Non-Formal and In-Formal Provision
• Different modes of delivery
• Public and Private provision
Education and Training in Namibia
Globalisation
• Free movement of goods and services including
education and training and affects decisions that have to
be made – re-skilling required
• Education and training responded by:
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Differentiation
Privatisation
Consumerism
CBET
Internationalisation
Massification
• Triggered Review of Quality
Education and Training in Namibia
Human Resources Development and
Knowledge Management
• Aspiration of Namibia to improve quality of life for her
citizens
• Acceleration of economic growth
• Focus on knowledge-based economy
• Knowledge creation and management
Education and Training in Namibia
Historical Perspective
– Apartheid and Colonialism
– Inequities to access
– Emphasis on formal education and training
– Uneven quality of education and training
Education and Training in Namibia
Expectations by the World of Work
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Demand driven
Competency based outlook
Requires labour market mobility
Developed inertia to re-training of graduates
Flexible and Multi-skilled workforce needed
New approach to education and training warranted
Education and Training in Namibia
Socio-Political and Demographic Dynamics
High levels of Unemployment
Skewed Age distribution
Income disparities
Employment equity and Affirmative Action
Impact of HIV and AIDS
Gender-based selection
Education and Training in Namibia
Resolutions to address these Challenges
• Establishment of the NQA by Act 29 of 1996
• Develop and Administer the NQF
• Quality Assurance in Education and Training:
Standards Setting
Assessment, Audit and Accreditation
Recognition of Prior Learning
Evaluation of Foreign Qualifications
The NQA mandate
The Objects of the NQA are to:a. Set up and administer a NQF;
b. Be a forum for matters pertaining to quals;
c. set up occupational standards for any occupation or
position in any career structure
d. Set the curriculum standards required for achieving
the occupational standards;
e. Promote the development of, and to analyse
benchmarks of acceptable performance norms for
any occupation, job or position;
The NQA mandate
f. Accredit persons, institutions and organisation
providing education and courses of instruction
or training of meeting certain requirements;
g. Evaluate and recognise competencies learnt
outside formal education;
h. Establish facilities for the collection and
dissemination of information with regard to
qualifications;
i. Enquire whether qualifications meet national
standards;
j. Advise on matters pertaining to qualifications.
NQA Vision
The Namibia Qualifications Authority
strives towards a proud nation with a
(NQF) which allows its people to
develop to their fullest potential without
artificial barriers and validly, reliably,
fairly and equitably recognises peoples
learning achievements and
competencies, no matter how, where or
when such learning achievements and
competencies were attained.
• Who needs Recognition
in Education and
Training, is it
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Learners
Providers
Employers
Governments
NQA
Employers
………….?
Learner
Providers
Governments
Employers
NQA
Others
etc
The NQF of Namibia
• Increased demand for credentials led to a
focus on the quality of qualifications
• Credentialing characterized by proliferation
of certificates
• NQA strives to validate such certificates via
the National Qualifications Framework
(NQF)
10
Doctoral Degree
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Masters Degree
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Bachelor Honours Professional Bachelor
Bachelor Degree
The NQF of Namibia
• NQF
– has ten levels (with level descriptors)
– unifying mechanism
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express value of different qualifications
enhance acceptance of qualifications
defines/specifies characteristics of qualification types
makes provision for articulation
express fields of learning
provides for a common currency
facilitate determination of equivalencies
The NQF of Namibia
Make-up of the NQF
The NQF has three distinct types of ‘awards’:
1. ‘Portal’ or whole qualifications - components of a
qualification are not separately registered on the NQF
2. Credit-accumulation qualifications
The components of a qualification are separately registered on
the NQF and can be separately awarded. Once specified
components have been accumulated, the qualification may be
issued.
3. Registered qualification components – unit standards
The separately registered components that can be used to meet
the requirements of credit-accumulation qualifications
Standards and the NQF
An award given through the NQF
• (Unit) standards represent an ‘award’, signifying that a
person has been formally assessed and has attained a
nationally agreed standard of performance. They are
registered on the National Qualifications Framework
(NQF) to enable national recording of their being attained.
People are able to receive national recognition for both
their whole qualification and what they specifically did to
receive the qualification. Should someone not complete a
whole qualification, they will gain recognition for the
outcomes of learning and/or work activities that they are
able to perform.
Anatomy of Standards
National standards, what are they?
National standards are nationally applied
statements of knowledge, skills, attitudes, values
and special attributes required and combined
through underlying understanding to carry out the
roles or sets of tasks in a particular occupation and
the criterion to be used to determine the
achievement at a specified minimum level of
performance.
Anatomy of Standards
What is a standard?
“….a measure, devised by general
consent, as a basis for comparison against
against which judgements might be made as
to the levels of acceptability
Scope for the use of Standards
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RPL
Assessment
Curriculum
Development
Standards Setting
Facilities and
Infrastructure
Accreditation
Trainer/Teacher
Education
Teaching and
Learning
Quality Assurance
Anatomy of Standards
Uses of Standards
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Human Resource Interventions
Performance Management Systems (PMS)
Training
Curriculum Development – CBET
Assessment / Moderation
Labour Market Efficiency
Accreditation
Validation
is the recognition of
Qualification
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Standards
Assessment
Portability
NQF
Competencies
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Recognition
Articulation
Unit
Standards
Is the recognition of
Capabilities
Skills
NQF and standards
Basis of assessment decisions
• standards provide the basis for the design of
assessment activities and the making of
assessment decisions. The intended
audience are informed assessors – skilled
assessors with knowledge, or access to
specialist knowledge in the subject area
being assessed - and candidates who have
completed relevant learning and who wish
to self-assess their readiness for formal
assessment.
The NQF and Standards
Responsibility of industry or profession
• Developing standards is an activity that sits
firmly as a responsibility of the industry or
profession that requires national
benchmarks for certification. The NQA is
able to assist through the provision of
technical advice and guidance – but it does
not have the subject matter expertise to set
national standards on behalf of different
sectors.
The NQF and Standards
National standard setting bodies or “steering
groups”
• In most cases, the development of standards
will be prompted and overseen or managed
by a national body recognised by the NQA.
As well as management of standard setting
processes each national body will ensure
that all standards developed for their sphere
of responsibility reflect national
requirements and remain fit to meet current
and future employment trends within the
sector.
NQA’s Roles
LEARNERS
Youth
Adult
Employed
Self employed
Seeking
employment
Rural/Urban
Male/Female
Able/Disabled
Approved National
Assessment
Arrangements
create consistency
Registration of
NQF Qualifications
and Unit Standards School
Reviews
Technical
Advice and
Guidance
Quality
Audits
Formal
Polytechnic
and Informal
Moderation Recognised
College of Ed Directed
Qualification
University
and Self Directed
VTC
Present
Evaluation of
Private
and Prior
existing
institution Currently
qualifications
Company
competent
Ministry
Issue of
Parastatal
Community
Certificates
Other nations
Accreditation
approves courses
and assessments
Special
Research
Learning
Life-Long
Work
Further
Learning
Some Challenges
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Power play
Complexity
Cost
Status of Assesors
High expectations
Core-slills vs Generic skills
Who benefits from the NQF
Learners
• Access for everyone to learning
• Learning pathways and opportunities for
progression for the previously disadvantaged
• Learners develop to their full potential
• Quality assured learning
• National records of learners achievement*
Who benefits from the NQF
Workers
• Learning and development paths to enable and
support life-long learning
Employers
• Employees will be qualified to world-class standards
• Quality assured company programmes
• National records of learners achievement
Who benefits from the NQF
Namibia
• Means to transform education and training in
Namibia - advances a culture of lifelong learning
and a single NQF
• Provides information for planning for socioeconomic development - ensures Namibia a world
class learning system, building block in HRD
strategy
The Nation
• A proud and confident nation able to stay abreast
of change (See the vision statement)
THANK YOU.