Presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Education

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Presentation to the Portfolio Committee on
Education

• 15 March 2006

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Contents

• What is SAQA
• SAQAs mission
• Objectives of the NQF
• Budget assumptions
• Medium-term revenue estimates
• Strategy
• Programmes and plans

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What is SAQA?

• South African Qualifications Authority
• Statutory body of 29 members
• Appointed by Ministers of Education and Labour

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SAQAs mission

• To ensure the development and implementation of a
  National Qualifications Framework (NQF) that
  contributes to the full development of each
  learner and to the social and economic
  development of the nation at large

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SAQAs mission

• The mission supports
• Tirisano programme of the Department of Education
  whose priorities are derived from the overall
  policy framework, which seeks to enable all
  individuals to value, have access to, and succeed
  in, quality life-long education and training

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SAQAs mission

• Vhutsila programme of the Department of Labour
  which challenges South African to make a working
  reality of skills for productive citizenship for
  all

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Objectives of the NQF

• Create an integrated national framework for
  learning achievements
• Facilitate access to, and mobility and
  progression within education, training and career
  paths
• Enhance the quality of education and training
• Accelerate the redress of past unfair
  discrimination in education, training and
  employment opportunities
• Contribute to the full personal development of
  each learner and the social and economic
  development of the nation at large

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Meeting the NQF objectives
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Budget assumptions

• That the budget is based on the implementation of
  the recommendations to the Ministers on the
  outcome of the NQF study report
• That the funding from government will be at least
  R34m
• That savings of R3.2m from the 2005/6 budget will
  be used to fund the 2006/7 budget

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Budget assumptions

• That the projected additional interest income for
  2005/6 of R1.2 m will be used to fund this budget
• That the surplus of R2.198m from the 2004/5
  financial year will be used to fund this budget
• That personnel costs will be adjusted for the
  effects of inflation
• That inflation in income and costs will be around
  6 percent
• That project funding will be sought for clearly
  defined and discrete projects

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Medium-term revenue estimate
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Medium-term expenditure estimate
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Medium-term expenditure estimate cont.
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Strategic plan

• Focuses on ensuring the evolution of an enhanced
  NQF that is underpinned by systemic
  co-ordination, coherence and resource alignment
  in support of the HRD strategy, the objectives of
  which are underpinned by a strong NQF

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Core strategy

• Develop and sustain policies, procedures and
  infrastructures for the NQF, actively supported
  by the key stakeholders in education and training

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Core strategy

• As the NQF apex organisation, provide leadership
  to deepen, broaden and strengthen NQF
  implementation with a strong focus on effective
  partnerships and informed decision-making based
  on quality research

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Core strategy

• Work with stakeholders to build communities of
  trust in an effort to develop pragmatic and
  workable solutions to NQF implementation
  difficulties. These will reduce tensions within
  the system to ensure that short-term gains do not
  undermine the long-term needs of the system

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Programmes and plans
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Administration and Support

• This programme covers the activities of the
  Executive Office and the following Directorates
• Finance and Administration
• Human Resources
• Information and Information Technology and
• Strategic Support

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Administration and Support

• Plans
• Partner major stakeholders to ensure systemic
  coordination, coherence and resource alignment to
  the benefit of learners in line with the national
  HRD Strategy.
• Advise and inform policy-makers on all matters
  relating to the NQF, through conducting and
  commissioning research on national imperatives,
  NQF impact, policy development and implementation.

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Administration and Support

• Plans cont.
• Conduct ongoing strategic advocacy for the NQF
• Represent South Africa on international
  qualification framework forums and support the
  development of qualification framework
  initiatives, especially SADC and NEPAD.
• Ensure the aligned development of human,
  financial and infrastructural resources to
  support the achievement of the organisational
  objectives

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National Standards Setting and Development

• Plans
• Continue to provide leadership and professional
  expertise to ensure that high quality, nationally
  relevant and internationally comparable unit
  standards and qualifications are registered on
  the NQF

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National Quality Assurance and Development

• Plans
• Continue to provide leadership through systemic
  monitoring and evaluation for continuous quality
  improvement of education and training

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National Learners Records Database (NLRD)

• Plan
• Ensure that the information on the NLRD is of
  acceptable quality and previously inaccessible
  data is available

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National Centre for the Evaluation of Foreign
Qualifications (CEEQ)

• Plans
• Maintain and develop the role of SAQAs Centre
  for the Evaluation of Educational Qualifications
  (CEEQ) as the national recognition information
  centre for foreign and domestic learning and
  qualifications.

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THANK YOU