Some challenges for a ‘third generation’ of national qualifications frameworks

New Zealand National Qualifications Framework

Ethiopia National Qualifications Framework

NQFs

Regulatory/mandatory

Tool for national policy implementation

Establishing national standards and regulations

Transnational Qualifications Framework for the Small States of the Commonwealth

SADC Regional Qualifications Framework

RQFs

Voluntary/inclusive

Tool for translation and assessing comparability of qualifications–communication between countries

UNITED STATES of AMERICA

CANADA

ALASKA (USA)

MEXICO

COLOMBIA

VENEZUELA

BRAZIL

PERU

BOLIVIA

HONDURAS

NICARAGUA

ECUADOR

GUYANA

SURINAME

FRENCHGUIANA

COSTA RICA

PANAMA

GUATEMALA

CUBA

PARAGUAY

ARGENTINA

URUGUAY

CHILE

GREENLAND

ICELAND

UNITEDKINGDOM

REPULIC OFIRELAND

NORWAY

SWEDEN

FINLAND

DENMARK

ESTONIA

LATVIA

LITHUANIA

POLAND

BELARUS

GERMANY

CZECHREPUBLIC

NETHERLANDS

BELGIUM

FRANCE

SPAIN

PO

RT

UG

AL

SWITZ.

AUSTRIA

SLOVAKIA

HUNGARY

ROMANIA

BULGARIA

ITALY

UKRAINE

TURKEYGREECE

SYRIA

IRAQ

SAUDIARABIA

YEMEN

OMAN

UAE

EGYPTLIBYA

ALGERIA

MOROCCOTUNISIA

WESTERN SAHARA

MAURITANIA

MALINIGER CHAD

SUDAN

ETHIOPIA

SOMALIAUGANDA

SENEGAL

GUINEA

LIBERIA

COTED’IVOIRE

BURKINA

GHANA

NIGERIA

CAMEROON

CENTRALAFRICAN REPUBLIC

GABON CONGO

DEMOCRATICREPUBLIC OF

CONGO

KENYA

TANZANIA

ANGOLA

ZAMBIA

MO

ZAM

BIQUE

NAMIBIA

BOTSWANA

ZIMBABWE

REPUBLICOF SOUTH

AFRICA

MADAGASCAR

RUSSIA

KAZAKHSTAN

GEORGIA

IRAN

UZBEKISTAN

TURKMENISTAN

AFGHANISTAN

KYRGYZSTAN

TAHKISTAN

PAKISTAN

INDIA

CHINA

NEPAL

MYANMAR

THAILAND

SRILANKA

MONGOLIA

NORTHKOREA

SOUTHKOREA JAPAN

TAIWAN

CAMBODIA

LAOS

VIETNAM

PHILIPPINES

MALAYSIA

INDONESIA

PAPUANEW GUINEA

AUSTRALIA

NEWZEALAND

1st and 2nd generation

Early motivations

Explicit goals

Establish national standards and improve quality

Increase coherence of subsectors TVET, HE and GE

Increase access and promote lifelong learning

Compare and recognise qualifications

Reform the education sector

3rd Generation

New motivation

GlobalisationRegional integration

New pressure/accelerating factors

Momentum of globalisationGlobal convergence

A qualification framework cannot solve all the education and social problems

Qualifications frameworks shift the balance of power

The subsectors will vigorously (and passively!) resist ‘harmonisation’

A qualification framework can become a large and slow moving bureaucracy that hampers innovation

Prescriptiveness does not improve quality it improves compliance

Structures for governance: divergent political views of the need for change

Complexity of qualification systems: trade off between risk of destabilisation and ineffective piecemeal changes.

Institutional structure: e.g. weak co-operation between education institutions, world of work, ministries, parastatals

Economic constraints: especially shortage, or ineffective allocation, of resources

Social barriers e.g. parity of esteem between TVET and HE, low public opinion of private provider qualifications

Career ‘dead ends’ Out-of-date irrelevant qualifications Inconsistent assessment standards Low public confidence in qualifications No means of recognising qualifications from other

countries Some Botswana qualifications are not recognised in

Botswana Lack of international recognition of Botswana

qualifications No framework of reference for curriculum development

and credit transfer Qualification system is too complex and people don’t

understand how it works

Increase lifelong learning – no more ‘dead ends’, more ‘second chances’

Increase relevant demand-led education and phase out out-of-date, irrelevant qualifications

Increase consistency in assessment standards

Increase public confidence in qualifications

Increase local recognition of Botswana qualifications

Increase international recognition of

Botswana qualifications

Increase mobility of qualified people

Make the qualification system easy

to understand

Participate in regional co-operation and development

EQF Level s

Ethiopia Level s

Botswana Levels

SADC ten level QFs

Example Qualification from General and Higher Education

8 9 10 10 PhD

7 8 9 9 Masters degree

6 7 8 8 Graduate Diploma or Certificate

6 7 Bachelor degree

5 5 7 6 Diploma

4 4 6 5

3 3 5 4 Advanced Secondary

2 2 4 3 Senior Secondary

1 1 3 2 Junior Secondary Certificate

- Access 2 Entry 2 1 Primary School Leaving Certificate

- Access 1 Entry 1 - Adult Basic Education

Keep it simple Avoid extreme standardisation / prescriptiveness Build on existing practice but challenge outmoded

approaches Take it slowly, but not too slowly! Build relationships, compromise, balance interests Be pragmatic – what matters most is that it works! Make it fit your local context And don’t lose sight of the Big Picture! Failure to grasp

the implications is the biggest pitfall!

THANK YOU!