Umalusi’s presentation to the Basic Education Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on the 2008/9 Annual Report 27 October 2009 Dr Mafu S Rakometsi

Overview Purpose / Mandate Summarised External Environment : Impact on Umalusi Organisational Performance per Unit Financial Information Current Issues and Way Forward Conclusion

Purpose / Mandate Summarised While Umalusi has reported against its founding mandate in the 2008 / 2009 annual report it has been mindful of the changes that it would be required to make as it moved towards its role as a Quality Council, the mandate of which became effective on 1 June 2009. Umalusi therefore reports as an organization in transition. Umalusi’s mandate is determined by two Acts namely, the SAQA Act of 1995 now replaced by the National Qualifications Framework Act of 2008; and the General and Further Education and Training Quality Assurance Act of 2001 amended in 2008.

Purpose / Mandate Summarised 2 Umalusi is tasked with the following: Qualifications: Monitor and report on the adequacy and suitability of qualifications and standards in general and further education and training; now extended to, Develop and manage a sub-framework of qualifications in collaboration with SAQA and the other two QCs supported by the necessary policies and processes. Quality Assurance: Accredit private providers of education and training and assessment; Promote quality amongst providers and ensure that providers adopt quality management systems; Quality assure assessments at exit points and certify learner achievement  In the amended mandate these functions have remained the same except that the monitoring of provincial departments of education has been removed. Monitor provincial departments of education and report to the Minister

Purpose / Mandate Summarised 3 Information Maintain a database of learner achievements and related matters; and submit such data in a format determined in consultation with the SAQA for recording on the national learners’ records database – this requirement has remained the same Research While Umalusi has always grounded its work in research this function was only formalised under the new and extended mandate, which requires Umalusi to commission and publish research on issues of importance to the development and implementation of the sub-framework

Purpose / Mandate Summarised 4 Advice and Collaboration Omitted in the founding mandate but included in the amended mandate is the formalization of relationships which include: Advice to the relevant Minister on matters relating to its sub- framework Collaboration with the SAQA and other QCs in terms of the education and training system Establishment of co-operative relationships with professional bodies Advocacy of the sub-framework of qualifications

External Environment : Impact on Umalusi While maintaining the “old” and routine quality assurance work Umalusi has also had to accommodate development of functions to support the “new” and extended mandate and much of what has been reported is associated with the transition. Certain aspects in the macro environment that have affected Umalusi are as follows: The passing of the NQF Act in 2009; changes in the roles and responsibilities of the various bodies in the quality assurance landscape; The amendment of the GENFETQA Act in 2008; the extended mandate which has required more capacity and a review of Umalusi’s positions and approaches; The amendment of the Skills Development Act and the establishment of the QCTO with new approaches that impact on the work of Umalusi; Amendment of the HE Act with approaches that impact on Umalusi’s work;

External Environment : Impact on Umalusi The introduction of two new and high profile qualifications during this time namely the National Senior Certificate to replace the old Senior Certificate and the National Certificate: Vocational to replace the old National Technical Certificates; A change in Chief Executive Officers towards the end of the 2008 / 2009 financial year Not anticipated in 2008, was the splitting of the Education Ministry which has placed Umalusi in the position of straddling the education and training system in respect of its quality assurance work, reporting lines and funding streams;

Umalusi’s Quality Assurance Regime 2008 Umalusi believes that educational standards and quality are set and maintained through a combination of processes and interventions and designed its rigorous quality assurance regime for 2008 to encompass the following: Evaluation and benchmarking of existing qualifications and curricula (Intended curriculum) and issuing authentic certificates Ensuring through external moderation processes and benchmarking that assessments at exit points are of an acceptable standard and that the examinations are conducted in a credible manner through verifying the national and provincial monitoring systems (Examined curriculum) Ensuring that standardisation processes are reliable, consistent and standardisation decisions upheld Accrediting private institutions (schools, FET colleges and Adult Centres), and private assessment bodies to offer / assess the qualifications it certifies (Enacted curriculum)

Qualifications, Curriculum & Certification Unit (QCC)   The role of QCC is to ensure and enhance the status and quality of the qualifications Umalusi certifies. Quality assuring the qualifications and their related curricula is QCC’s contribution to the overall quality of the certificate which Umalusi issues. This function also oversees the issuing and verification of certificates. (Qualifications: SC; NSC; N3; NCV 2 and 3; GETC: adults)

Qualifications, Curriculum & Certification April 2008 – March 2009 COMMENTS Policy development: Framework of Qualifications in GFET & developed and consulted. Criteria & guidelines for development and evaluation of qualifications and curricula developed. Completed as per plan Curriculum evaluated and benchmarked: NSC Maintaining Standards project supported GETC: Adults curriculum evaluated Foundation phase curriculum evaluation commenced Certificates issued, excluding subject certificates: 778 445 certificates printed across qualifications 171 858 certificates verified Issued in line with directives and guidelines

Quality Assurance of Assessments Unit (QAA) This function entails establishing, maintaining and improving standards and quality in assessment at exit points in General and Further Education and Training. In order to fulfil this function, Umalusi uses five key processes: external moderation of question papers; verification of monitoring the conduct of examinations; external moderation of marking; external moderation of continuous assessment; and standardisation of assessment results. (Qualifications: SC; NSC; N3; NCV 2 and 3; GETC: adults)

Quality Assurance of Assessment April 2008 – March 2009 COMMENTS Ext Moderation of Question Papers: NSC: 338 papers (DoE + IEB + OAER ) ABET : DoE - 23 learning areas (23 X4 sets = 92 papers) IEB - 6 learning areas (6 X4 sets = 24 papers) N2-N3: 25 papers NCV level 2 : 40 papers ; NCV level 3: 28 papers NCV level 3 ISAT (Integrated Summative Assessment task): 9 Completed as per plan Report submitted to the Minister of Education on all 2008 exams Moderation of marking: NSC: 26 National (Centralised and On-site) ABET: 4 learning areas across 9 PDE’s + IEB N2- N3: 9 subjects NCV level 2 : 8 subjects + 24 ISATs NCV level 3 : 13 subjects + 13 ISATs Completed per plan

Quality Assurance of Assessments April 2008 – March 2009 COMMENTS CASS: NSC: 30 subjects across DoE, IEB and OAER ABET: 2 Fundamental learning areas (LLC: English and Mathematical Literacy) across 9 PDE’s and IEB NCV: 21 level 2 and level 3 subjects sampled across PDE’s All CASS moderated as per plan Report submitted to the Minister of Education on all 2008 exams Verifying monitoring conduct of exams: NSC: 217 sites ABET: 64 N2 - N3 & NCV: 51 sites All monitoring conducted as per plan

Quality Assurance of Assessments April 2008 – March 2009 COMMENTS CTA moderation for schools: DoE: 18 learning areas IEB: 10 learning areas Completed as per plan Standardisation: NSC: DoE- 56 subjects; IEB -56 subjects incl. non-official languages; OAER - 27 subjects N2- N3: 393 subjects (4 exams) NCV level 2 : 54 subjects NCV level 3 : 55 subjects ABET: DoE 23 learning areas (2 exams) IEB 6 learning areas (2 exams) Report submitted to the Minister of Education on all 2008 exams

Evaluation and Accreditation Unit (E&A) The evaluation and accreditation function is responsible for the accreditation and monitoring of private institutions offering the qualifications Umalusi certifies. The unit evaluates, The capacity of education and training providers to implement registered qualifications and approved curriculum they seek accreditation for; and The capacity of providers and assessment bodies to conduct practical, internal, and external assessment of learner achievement, leading to the issuing of registered qualifications by Umalusi.

Evaluation and Accreditation of Private Providers Provisional Accreditation and Monitoring March 2008 – April 2009 COMMENTS Independent Schools: 450 monitored; 150 new Prov accredited Completed per plan Private FET Colleges: 86 monitored; 91 new learning sites Prov accredited Registration 197 Umalusi providers recommended to DoE 171 SETA providers processed and referred to DoE AET Centres: 23 monitored; 7 new centres Prov accredited

Evaluation and Accreditation of Private Providers Institutional Site Visits April 2008 – March 2009 COMMENTS Independent schools - site visits 229 Completed Private FET college sites visited 203 Private AET centres visited 7 Resubmission of regulatory framework for accreditation Awaiting regulation

Evaluation and Accreditation of Assessment Bodies April 2008– March 2009 COMMENTS 4 new applicants supported through development programme 2 AET assessment bodies 2 Vocational assessment bodies Concluded per plan Independent Examinations Board (IEB) and Onafhanklike Afrikaanse Eksamensraad (OAER) monitored Evaluation of the assessment system for the National Certificate: Vocational Project concluded – report published

Statistical Information and Research Unit (SIR) The mandate of the SIR unit is to conduct research as identified by the needs of the organisation and report on the key indicators of quality and standards in general and further education and training; the establishment and maintenance of databases; to lead statistical research and analysis; and to inform and provide statistical support for the work in other units. The SIR Unit also plays a role in organizational and professional development at Umalusi.  

Statistical Information and Research April 2008 – March 2009 Comment Maintaining Standards Report: - Part 1: Overview; -Part 2: Detailed Curricula Analysis -Part 3: Detailed Exam Paper Analysis Findings presented at the 2008 standardization meeting. Signaling Performance: A report on the correlation between continuous assessment and exam mark Report published May 2008 The role of IRT in selected examination system: A literature review on the item response theory and how it is used in different countries Report published September 2008 Foundation Phase comparative curriculum evaluation Practical Assessment: Best Practice HESA equivalence setting Conceptualised and commissioned

Management Support Structures (MSS) Management Support Structures ensures that: Strategic plans are in place and that the organisation carries out its remit Corporate Governance Advocacy of Umalusi’s work Stakeholders relationships

Management Support Structures April 2008 – March 2009 COMMENTS Strategic and business plans developed, implemented and monitored New planning cycle developed and organisational reports published as required Policies developed and implemented after Council approval Performance evaluated and monitored quarterly Organisational governance maintained Council meetings conducted, committees supported and services rendered PR and communications strategy implemented Communication strategy implemented per plan Stakeholder relationships established and managed Relationships forged and maintained with political structures, DoE, and other statutory and quality assurance bodies

Information Technology Systems April 2008 – March 2009 COMMENTS Hardware procured 3 HP printers 7 personal computers 2 Servers 325 computer components 15 laptops 35 network points Equipment installed with SLAs implemented and network support meeting expectations. Software 7 different applications Software licensing up to date. Programming MIS development Certification system MIS project is ongoing improving operational output. Certification system; NCV Level 4 system developed and NSC System implemented. Network support Business continuity High availability solution in place for crucial servers. Disaster Recovery strategy was developed and agreed upon. The DRP is now in the process of development and will be completed by June 2009.

Finance, HRD & Admin Support April 2008 – March 2009 COMMENTS Finance, SCM and buildings Unqualified audit (history of organization) Creditors were paid within 30 days Building Improvements - R 1,040 m Upgrading of building to suit organizational requirements continues. Undercover parking bays converted into additional office space, security was enhanced with CCTV and palisade fencing. Human resources Bursaries to staff – R 56 156 In house training – R 89 185 Short courses – R 39 024 All 74 staff benefited Development of staff a priority with greater budget demands for 2009/10 and beyond

Financial Performance 2008/9 Revenue Certification, verification and accreditation Amount 27,019,914 Department of Education Grant 16,044,000 Interest and other income 3,370,454 Total Income R 46,434,368 Expenditure 41,378,379 Surplus R 5,055,989

Financial Position 2008/9 Assets 14,453,789 Property & equipment 14,290,658 Intangible assets 163,131 Current Assets 30,170,246 Trade & other receivables 5,047,446 Cash & cash equivalents 25,122,800 TOTAL ASSETS R 44,624,035 Equity Accumulated surplus 39,109,004 Liabilities Trade & other payables 5,515,031 TOTAL EQUITY & LIABILITIES R 44 624 035

Total Income 2000/1 ( actual) to 2012/13 ( budget) YEAR INCOME BUDGET DoE GRANT GRANT % 2000/01 R 6,150,786 2001/02 R 7,027,948 2002/03 R 13,757,861 R 1,513,000 11 2003/04 R 18,076,902 R 3,050,000 17 2004/05 R 23,547,626 R 12,869,000 55 2005/06 R 28,603,979 R 7,690,000 27 2006/07 R 32,972,345 R 10,286,000 31 2007/08 R 36,013,566 R 12,652,000 35 2008/09 R 46,434,368 R 16,044,000 2009/10 R 53,843,713 R 16,494,000 2010/11 R 69,481,474 R 17,350,000 25 2011/12 R 80,656,970 R 18,391,000 23 2012/13 R 92,723,528 R 19,311,000 21

Current Issues and the Way Forward Certification of 2008 learners: Certification was concluded in August 2009 - normally done in May /June - due to a revised look and format required by the Minister of Education Later release of 2009 Matric results: This was agreed to ensure that Umalusi has the space to assure the resulting process before approval of results – new initiative to strengthen the quality assurance process

Current Issues and the Way Forward Umalusi’s line of accountability: Split Ministry has placed Umalusi in a straddled position i.r.o its sub-framework of qualifications and quality assurance thereof Funding model: With the declining grant percentage Umalusi has proposed to NDoE for a move from a certification fee to a Quality Assurance Levy

Conclusion The NQF review finalization is welcomed - consultative processes have begun with the Departments of Basic and Higher Education, DOL(QCTO), and related stakeholders. Thanks to the Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Ms F I Chohan and her members for their support.