Presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Education

1. Presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Education 18 March 2008 Samuel BA Isaacs

2. Contents • What is SAQA • SAQA’s mission • Objectives of the NQF • Strategy • Budget assumptions • Medium-term revenue estimates • Programmes and plans

3. What is SAQA? • South African Qualifications Authority • Statutory body of 29 members • Appointed by Ministers of Education and Labour

4. SAQA’s 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

5. 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

6. Employment Equity Profile March 2008

7. Meeting the NQF Objectives Eight directorates with twelve operating units reporting to an Executive Office

8. Employment Equity • Human Resource Advisory Committee: Consultative and Advisory Body • Responsible for development of employment equity policy and setting of targets • Consulted if there are any deviations from the agreed upon targets

9. Changes in Environment • New SAQA Authority (Board) appointed (Nov 2007) • Joint Policy Statement (Sept 2007) • HEQF (Oct 2007) • Draft NQF Bill (Feb 2008) • Changes to HE & FE Acts (Feb 2008) • Changes to Skills Development Act (Feb 2008)

10. Key Challenges • A meaningful role for SAQA • Relationship between SAQA and its partners • Development of 3 proposed QCs • Establishment and development of the QCTO • Clarification of roles of SETA-ETQAs and professional bodies

11. Key Challenges (cont’d) • Transitional arrangements • Coherent agreed planning and implementation • Realistic timeframes • Legislative steps • Adequate financial arrangements • Clear and targeted communication with all affected parties • Staffing implications

12. Strategic Imperatives • Principles that guide these strategic imperatives: • NQF Objectives (Integrated Framework, Access, Quality, Redress and Development) • Constructive engagement/collaboration with NQF Principals/Partners • Research-led approach • Learners are the beneficiaries

13. Strategic Imperatives (cont’d) • Impacting on legislation • Task Team on Draft NQF Bill • Task Team on Skills Development Amendment Bill • Embrace the ‘new space’ • Monitor how new architecture will be working • Managing the transition • Task Team with DoE and DoL • Identify and resolve critical cross cutting issues • Set up internal transitional Task Team • Ensure Adequate resources for key functions e.g. NLRD CEEQ

14. Strategic Imperatives (cont’d) • Communication and Advocacy (C&A) of the NQF • Task Team on C&A • Presentation of C&A Strategy to SAQA Board • Implementation of C&A Strategy • Building Research Capacity and Credibility to lead policy, legislation and conceptual debates • Research programme on RPL • Researching Work and Learning Programme • Research-led advice to Ministers

15. Strategic Imperatives (cont’d) • Advancing Life Long Learning including RPL and CAT • Research programme on RPL • Year plan for seminar series • Investigate the current status of guidance and counselling (navigational tools for enabling learners to understand and make informed choices as they traverse the three sub-frameworks of the NQF)

16. Strategic Imperatives (cont’d) • Impacting on legislation • Managing the transition • C&A of the NQF • Build Research and development capacity and credibility to lead policy, legislative and conceptual debates • Advancing Life Long Learning including RPL and CAT

17. 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

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

19. Core strategy (cont’d) • 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

20. Core strategy (cont’d) • 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

21. Summary • Past Strategic Imperatives and Tactics have favourably positioned SAQA to deal with the challenges it faces. • SAQA is much stronger now than in 2005. • Responsive, model statutory body • Internationally recognised • Staffing stabilised and strengthened • SAQA can confidently face the future!

22. Programmes, Plans andFinances

23. Budget assumptions 1. That the budget is based on the implementation of the recommendations to the Ministers on the outcome of the NQF study report. 2.That personnel costs will be adjusted for the effects of inflation at 7%. 3.That performance and broad banding level adjustments for all levels is implemented. 4.That inflation in income and costs will be around 6 percent. 5.    That inflation in the cost of airfares will be around 10 percent. 6. That travel reimbursement rates will increase by about 10 percent.

24. Budget assumptions (cont’d) 7.  The NLRD will continue to generate more income. 8.  The funding from government will be at least R 37,3m. 9.  That extra project funding will be sought for clearly defined and discrete projects. 10.  SAQA's equipment replacement strategy is implemented on a limited basis. • Strategic decision made that some of the additional staff needed in CEEQ will be appointed on a temporary basis. • Not all objectives in the strategic plan will be implemented unless further funding or grants are obtained.

25. Medium-term revenue estimate

26. Medium-term expenditure estimate

27. Medium-term expenditure estimate (cont’d)

28. Programme Budget Analysis

29. Programme 1Administration and Support • This programme covers the activities of the Executive Office and the following Directorates: • Finance and Administration • Human Resources • Information and Information Technology • Strategic Support

30. Programme 1Administration and Support (cont’d) • 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.

31. Programme 1Administration and Support (cont’d) • Plans cont’d: • 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

32. Programme 2National 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

33. Programme 3National Quality Assurance and Development • Plans: • Continue to provide leadership through systemic monitoring and evaluation for continuous quality improvement of education and training

34. Programme 4National Learners’ Records Database (NLRD) • Plan • Ensure that the information on the NLRD is of acceptable quality and previously inaccessible data is available

35. Programme 5National Centre for the Evaluation of Foreign Qualifications (CEEQ) • Plans: • Maintain and develop the role of SAQA’s Centre for the Evaluation of Educational Qualifications (CEEQ) as the national recognition information centre for foreign and domestic learning and qualifications.

36. Programme 6Research • Advise and inform policy-makers and make recommendations on all matters relating to the NQF and education and training in South Africa. • Conduct research, monitor and undertake evaluation studies that contribute to the development of the NQF.

37. THANK YOU

38. Presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Education 18 March 2008 Samuel BA Isaacs