1. IS THE BANKSETA EQUAL TO THE TASK OF THE NEW DISPENSATION? BY PROF M C MEHL TRIPLE L ACADEMY

2. A SHORT HISTORY SINCE 1994 A DYNAMIC POLICY ENVIRONMENT 1995 – SAQA ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE NQF 1998 – THE SDA ESTABLISHING THE SETAS 2002 – NQF REVIEW 2007 - JOINT STATEMENT: MINS E & L 2008 - NQF BILL & H.E. BILL

3. A LONGER HISTORY SINCE… THE ISSUE OF THE LEGACY WE HAVE ALL INHERITED THE MATTER OF EFFECTING EDUCATIONAL CHANGE

4. THE ISSUE OF THE LEGACY The Legacy: a society that has resulted from a State initiated decimation of the capacity of the majority of its citizens over generations

5. DO YOU STILL REMEMBER? “No native will graze in the educational pastures of the European” “Non-White People do not need mathematics and science” Educational spend: White R4500; Coloured R230; African R96. Extension of University Act: University in primary school

6. SHOULD WE NOW FORGET APARTHEID? THE LEGACY LIVES ON & WILL FOR MANY YEARS NEED CREATIVE STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS MUST DEAL WITH RESULTANT ENTITLEMENT “NO NORMAL SPORT IN AN ABNORMAL SOCIETY” SACOS 1965 2008: NO NORMAL EDUCATION IN AN ABNORMAL SOCIETY

7. THE CURRENT SITUATION IN EDUCATION & TRAINING Not faring well as a nation Scores on international tests are poor in comparison with less well resourced nations The reality of the skills crisis e.g. Eskom Large numbers of unemployed graduates Scores by school leavers on standard ABET tests are poor 7.2 million people illiterate

8. EFFECTING EDUCATIONAL CHANGE

9. VISION, POLICY & INTENT AN UNPRECEDENTED, ELEGANT POLICY ENVIRONMENT SINCE 1994 BASED ON CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH INTRODUCING THE NQF AS NATIONAL POLICY –ENABLING LEARNER PROGRESS FROM ANY STARTING POINT TO ANY DESIRED OUTCOME A TRULY INSPIRATIONAL & ASPIRATIONAL NATIONAL VISION

10. A SHORT HISTORY OF SAQA Well researched policy documents from 1995 1997: 12 National Standards Bodies 1998 onward: Standards Generating Bodies 1999/2000: Universities withdraw 2001: DoE withdraws 2002: Slow engagement with SETAs 2001 onward: NQF REVIEW 2007: Joint Statement Ministers of Education & Labour

11. A SHORT HISTORY OF SETAs SDA PROMULGATED 1998 SETAs ESTABLISHED ca 2000 ETQA FUNCTION CONFERRED BY SAQA –UP TO NQF LEVEL 4 1% LEVY KICKS IN AROUND 2001 PRESENT LEVY TOTAL ca R5B/ANNUM

12. AND NOW A SHORT REVIEW QUIZ HAS ALL THIS PRODUCED THE SKILLS REVOLUTION IN S.A.? WHY DO WE NEED THE NQF? DO WE REALLY NEED THE SETAs? DO YOU REGARD THE SETA AS THE “AUTHORITY ON E & T IN YOUR SECTOR”?

13. WHY HAS THE REVOLUTION BEEN SO DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE?

14. THE CONDITIONS FOR A REVOLUTION Who are the revolutionaries? What are they revolting about? What are the revolutionary structures? How are these better than what exists? What benefits are there to the revolutionaries and their followers?

15. WHAT WE UNDERESTIMATED The power of institutionalized education despite national acceptance of the NQF Inherent resistance to change in societies The impact of how we have all experienced education How much has fundamentally changed in education The perceived social value of formal education

16. THE REVOLUTIONARY ELEMENTS SINCE 1994 OUR HRD STRATEGY: BEST IN WORLD ELEMENTS: SAQA & NQF SKILLS DEVELOPMENT ACT ESTABLISHMENT OF SETAs EMPLOYMENT EQUITY ACT POLICY FRAMEWORK: REVOLUTIONARY AND NOW THE NEW NQF ACT!

17. SO WHAT EXACTLY SHOULD WE BE REVOLTING AGAINST? HISTORICAL INTELLECTUAL ELITISM

18. WHICH MEANS WHAT EXACTLY? THE PREDOMINANCE OF ONE SECTOR OVER OUR E&T SYSTEM THE LACK OF RECOGNITION OF LEARNING ALONG DIFFERENT PATHWAYS NO EFFECTIVE RPL NON INTELLECTUAL EQUIVALENCE BETWEEN A MINER WITH 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE AND AN EDUCATION GRADUATE

19. WHY HAS IT PROVED TO BE SUCH A STRUGGLE? BECAUSE AS A NATION WE HAVE NEVER ACCEPTED OR UNDERSTOOD THE INTELLECTUAL PARITY BETWEEN ACADEMIC KNOWLEDGE & LEARNING AND WORKPLACE KNOWLEDGE & LEARNING

20. SO LET’S STOP TIPTOEING AROUND THE EDUCATIONAL ISSUES Universities are limited in high level skills they can produce Universities of Technology are little better To develop workplaces as sites of structured learning is difficult SETA’s need to develop intellectual credibility

21. INTRODUCE A NEW LEARNING ECOLOGY Based on a different Epistemology Nature and scope of knowledge Theory of Knowledge

22. Knowledge Production In a Knowledge Economy Universities Work Places [Intellectual Capital (1993)] Social Environments Not just knowing WHAT, but knowing HOW(Skills)

23. The Need to Codify This Knowledge Enter the NQF Qualifications: In the specific Knowledge Production Arena Unit Standards

24. The emergence Of Occupationally-Directed Qualifications And Unit Standards Related to work being done Not job description Qualification: deepen, broaden & enable

25. New Learning Enablers - Providers – are required Experts are within the Knowledge Production Environment Learning “To Do” only in Active Workplaces Learning Facilitation :2 Components The Expert –In the workplace The Learning Enabling Expert

26. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE NEW ARCHITECTURE FOR THE SKILLS REVOLUTION?

27. MoL STATEMENT During August this year, I tabled, together with the Minister of Education, a joint Statement on the National Qualifications Framework. This was after a process that – unfortunately - lasted for almost four years. We have agreed on the establishment of a Qualifications and Quality Council for Trades and Occupations to become a counterpart of the Council on Higher Education's Quality Committee and Umalusi. It will focus on providing qualifications development and quality assurance over trades and occupations. Whilst this development is better late than never, its success will rely on all of us

28. REVOLUTIONARY ELEMENTS OF THE JOINT STATEMENT Establishment of QCTO Placement under Ministry of Labour Quality Assurance from NQF Levels 1 – 10 Qualifications linked to Occupations Recognition that various forms of learning are required in an integrated education, training and skills development system

29. THE VITAL ROLE OF THE QCTO Why did the NQF Review take 5 years? Because of the institutional power of the formal educational system The QCTO challenges the intellectual primacy of institutionalized education DoL now becomes the Department of Learning: a Constructivist Epistemology reigns!

30. THE MAJOR CHALLENGES FACING THE QCTO (1) ESTABLISH THE INTELLECTUAL PARITY BETWEEN WORKPLACE-BASED QUALIFICATIONS AND LEARNING @: –NQF 5 – 10 WITH THE CHE’s QUALIFICATIONS; –NQF 1 – 4 WITH UMALUSI. ESTABLISH LEVEL 10 QUALIFICATIONS FACILITATE RAPID IMPLEMENTATION AND ACCEPTANCE OF QCTO CONCEPT

31. THE MAJOR CHALLENGES FACING THE QCTO (2) QUALIFICATIONS MUST BE DEVELOPED & ALIGNED TO OCCUPATIONS: REVOLUTIONARY! ORGANIZATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR OCCUPATIONS MUST BE REFINED AND USED SCARCE & CRITICAL SKILLS MUST BE ADDRESSED IN THIS CONTEXT QUALITY ASSURANCE MECHANISMS MUST BE IN PLACE: QUO VADIS ETQA’s?

32. THE CHALLENGES IT PRESENTS TO THE SETAs: WILL BANKSETA LEAD?

33. THE FUTURE OF THE SETAs [54]SETAs will also play an important role, working with the QCTO in the design and quality assurance of work based learning processes. They will thus continue to work with SAQA, occupational and professional bodies and other QCs to advance the mobility and progression of workers in learning and employment in accordance with the NQF objectives. The ANC has proposed that in order for us to resolve these institutional and national / sector strategy issues – we should reduce the number of SETAs come 2010. We need to reflect on this during commissions as we have no excuse to continue shooting in the dark as we have previously been doing.

34. THE CHALLENGE TO THE SETAs AS AUTHORITIES: INTELLECTUAL POWERHOUSES BE THE E&T REVOLUTIONARIES –HAVE MONEY, RESOURCES AND NOW INTELLECTUAL LEGITIMACY BOARDS PROPERLY PREPARED, INDUCTED & AUDITED EVERY SETA SHOULD BE FRENETICALLY BUSY DEFINING ITS OWN QUO VADIS ESTABLISH A DYNAMIC LEARNING SYSTEM FOR ITS SECTOR FROM NQF 1 - 10

35. PROPOSALS TO CONSIDER

36. PROJECT 1: A major PR exercise on the QCTO sketching the implications for bringing the NQF alive in the minds and hearts of all South Africans by showing the possibilities for every citizen.

37. PROJECT 2: Let the SETAs stand up and be counted (after all you don’t wait to be invited to start a revolution!) : Define their new role; Rationalize their number; Launch QCTO-Related Initiatives

38. PROJECT 3: Organize a high level development program at NQF LEVELS 8 – 10 for SETA top management & stakeholders. This will go a long way to establishing the “academic” credibility of the QCTO.

39. PROJECT 4: START NATIONAL SERVICE OF ALL UNEMPLOYED MATRICS TO BRING ENTIRE NATION TO NQF LEVEL 1 IN 5 YEARS ALONG THE CASTRO MODEL IN CUBA. FUND IT BY INCREASING SKILLS LEVY BY 0.5 %

40. PROJECT 5: Initiate a project that looks at how a skills pathway can be created for entrepreneurs in the 2nd economy. This may involve a pre-ABET, mother tongue literacy initiative, through ABET 1 – 3, to NQF Level 1 and beyond.

41. No excuse is made for the extreme emphasis on the new policy architecture. This is the most significant development in Human Resource Development in the new Millennium. It gives substance to our Skills Revolution in a way that makes it possible to win the battle.

42. THE CHALLENGES ARE IMMENSE BUT THE FUTURE OF THE COUNTRY DEPENDS ON “OVERTURNING STRONGLY ENTRENCHED THINGS”