The exams you’ve stressed about for years are either upon you or looming large and it’s now time to choose your future career, but you may be confused about the lingo used by higher learning institutions or worried about how to recognise a truly accredited course.
What does NQF mean and how do you know whether a course truly deserves to be called a qualification or not?
Dr Felicity Coughlan, director of The Independent Institute of Education, said the terminology related to education in South Africa can often be very confusing, particularly when pupils and prospective students need to consider talk of accreditation and registration.
She stressed the importance of getting to grips with this terminology, as not doing so could have serious implications later.
Jan Badenhorst, chief executive officer of the Skills Academy, explained that NQF stands for the National Qualifications Framework. All accredited qualifications must be listed on the NQF.
Coughlan said aim of the NQF was to protect the general public from abuse by bogus education providers.
“South Africa has a register of all qualifications which is managed by the South African Qualifications Authority [SAQA] and this register is referred to as the NQF.
“We are fortunate in South Africa to have some really strict rules that educational institutions and training providers have to adhere to, so if you want to study there are a few simple questions to ask to which there are very clear answers.
“If an institution is not clear with you on the answers, the chances are you should be cautious about registering,” Coughlan said.
After choosing a qualification, Badenhorst said one should check if it is accredited.
Coughlan said a course could only be called a qualification if it had a credit value of 120 as a minimum.
“The shortest possible qualification is normally one year as it takes about a year of study to do 120 credits. A degree is normally at least 360 credits and so on.
“Without these two being in place, what you are studying is considered a short course and not a qualification, so it cannot be called a diploma or degree.
“So, if a South African institution is offering you a diploma for three weeks of study, it is not legitimate and warning lights should start flashing about that institution,” she said, adding that if an institution cannot provide a prospective student with a programme’s NQF ID, caution should be exercised as it is then not a South African qualification,” she said.
Coughlan said understanding the NQF can assist potential students in deciding what to study and where.
“If, for instance, you want to follow a trade or vocation such as becoming a chef, you need to find a college [public or private] accredited by the QCTO [Quality Council for Trades and Occupations] and registered as a private or public TVET college with a qualification on the NQF,” she said.
“If, however, you want to pursue a higher education qualification such as a higher certificate, degree or diploma, you can investigate your options among any of the country’s 26 public universities or 116 registered private higher education institutions.”
How to avoid bogus courses
Matriculants need to understand that all accredited qualifications must be listed on the NQF
The exams you’ve stressed about for years are either upon you or looming large and it’s now time to choose your future career, but you may be confused about the lingo used by higher learning institutions or worried about how to recognise a truly accredited course.
What does NQF mean and how do you know whether a course truly deserves to be called a qualification or not?
Dr Felicity Coughlan, director of The Independent Institute of Education, said the terminology related to education in South Africa can often be very confusing, particularly when pupils and prospective students need to consider talk of accreditation and registration.
She stressed the importance of getting to grips with this terminology, as not doing so could have serious implications later.
Jan Badenhorst, chief executive officer of the Skills Academy, explained that NQF stands for the National Qualifications Framework. All accredited qualifications must be listed on the NQF.
Coughlan said aim of the NQF was to protect the general public from abuse by bogus education providers.
“South Africa has a register of all qualifications which is managed by the South African Qualifications Authority [SAQA] and this register is referred to as the NQF.
“We are fortunate in South Africa to have some really strict rules that educational institutions and training providers have to adhere to, so if you want to study there are a few simple questions to ask to which there are very clear answers.
“If an institution is not clear with you on the answers, the chances are you should be cautious about registering,” Coughlan said.
After choosing a qualification, Badenhorst said one should check if it is accredited.
Coughlan said a course could only be called a qualification if it had a credit value of 120 as a minimum.
“The shortest possible qualification is normally one year as it takes about a year of study to do 120 credits. A degree is normally at least 360 credits and so on.
“Without these two being in place, what you are studying is considered a short course and not a qualification, so it cannot be called a diploma or degree.
“So, if a South African institution is offering you a diploma for three weeks of study, it is not legitimate and warning lights should start flashing about that institution,” she said, adding that if an institution cannot provide a prospective student with a programme’s NQF ID, caution should be exercised as it is then not a South African qualification,” she said.
Coughlan said understanding the NQF can assist potential students in deciding what to study and where.
“If, for instance, you want to follow a trade or vocation such as becoming a chef, you need to find a college [public or private] accredited by the QCTO [Quality Council for Trades and Occupations] and registered as a private or public TVET college with a qualification on the NQF,” she said.
“If, however, you want to pursue a higher education qualification such as a higher certificate, degree or diploma, you can investigate your options among any of the country’s 26 public universities or 116 registered private higher education institutions.”
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