Beyond Primary Education: Challenges of and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in AfricaAssociation for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Biennale 2008 on Post-Primary Education Parallel Session 7B: National Qualification Frameworks, Recognition of Prior Learning and Competencies Integration and Articulation of Post-Primary Education and Training in Africa: Contribution of NQF and Recognition of Non-Formal and Informal Learning: a Key to Lifelong Learning Presenter: Madhu Singh ADEA 2008 Biennale on Education in Africa Beyond Primary Education: Challenges and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in Africa 1

Beyond Primary Education: Challenges of and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in AfricaAssociation for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Biennale 2008 on Post-Primary Education Problem statement  While Education for All (EFA) is good, it is not enough to wait for the achievement of universal coverage of primary education, especially as many children, youth and adults in marginalized and rural and urban contexts, need to have alternative access programmes to progress into TVET, skills development and adult and community educational programmes linked to comprehensive frameworks for human resource development. ADEA 2008 Biennale on Education in Africa Beyond Primary Education: Challenges and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in Africa 2

Beyond Primary Education: Challenges of and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in AfricaAssociation for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Biennale 2008 on Post-Primary Education Context: African countries  Frameworks for comprehensive capacity building and lifelong learning strategies.  Renewed interest in all sub sectors  NQFs seen as a way to reform education and training systems  International conventions  Cross national comparability  Increase competitveness in the labour market  Establishing compatibility with other certificates. ADEA 2008 Biennale on Education in Africa Beyond Primary Education: Challenges and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in Africa 3

Beyond Primary Education: Challenges of and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in AfricaAssociation for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Biennale 2008 on Post-Primary Education Issues  Limited pathways  Difficult transitions  Ever-growing number of dropouts  Tenuous links between TVET and general and higher education  Certificate contain little information on competencies, learning goals and learning achievements ADEA 2008 Biennale on Education in Africa Beyond Primary Education: Challenges and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in Africa 4

Beyond Primary Education: Challenges of and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in AfricaAssociation for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Biennale 2008 on Post-Primary Education  Limted mechanisms for recognizing knowledge and skills acquired outside formal settings  Fragmentation of training of the variety of providers  Only internal testing, no external testing  Limited qualitications and career routes  No compatibility/comparability with other certificates cross-nationally ADEA 2008 Biennale on Education in Africa Beyond Primary Education: Challenges and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in Africa 5

Beyond Primary Education: Challenges of and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in AfricaAssociation for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Biennale 2008 on Post-Primary Education Objectives: 4 interrelated strategies  National qualifications frameworks (NQF)  Lifelong and life wide learning(LLL)  Recognition of prior learning(RPL)  Institutional and structural dimensions ADEA 2008 Biennale on Education in Africa Beyond Primary Education: Challenges and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in Africa 6

Beyond Primary Education: Challenges of and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in AfricaAssociation for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Biennale 2008 on Post-Primary Education NQF:  Typology of African countries  Enormous discrepancy between policy and practice  Different emphases - access, simplifying the process of RPL,  NQFS primarily a communciative and mapping tool  NQFS in Africa – legal basis, national bodies, ADEA 2008 Biennale on Education in Africa Beyond Primary Education: Challenges and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in Africa 7

Beyond Primary Education: Challenges of and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in AfricaAssociation for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Biennale 2008 on Post-Primary Education NQFs facilitate LLL – give clear reference  to individuals to start, move to, different learning and career paths  to education and training institutions that attempt to accredit individuals prior learning as part of the requirements for obtaining a qualification. ADEA 2008 Biennale on Education in Africa Beyond Primary Education: Challenges and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in Africa 8

Beyond Primary Education: Challenges of and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in AfricaAssociation for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Biennale 2008 on Post-Primary Education Need for clear lifelong learning strategy  basic competencies at all levels  more emphasis on working life, non-formal education and voluntary sector as learning domains  validation of non-formal and informal learning  Updating knowledge to improve competitiveness and flexibility in changing working life ADEA 2008 Biennale on Education in Africa Beyond Primary Education: Challenges and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in Africa 9

Beyond Primary Education: Challenges of and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in AfricaAssociation for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Biennale 2008 on Post-Primary Education Lifelong learning from skills development perspective  Training becomes shorter  Happens more frequently  Contents are more relevant  Responding to the market  Formal, non-formal and informal modes coexist and recognized  Dividing lines between vocational and general become blurred  NQFs  Open assessment ADEA 2008 Biennale on Education in Africa Beyond Primary Education: Challenges and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in Africa 10

Beyond Primary Education: Challenges of and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in AfricaAssociation for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Biennale 2008 on Post-Primary Education Learning domains  working life, enterprise, branch, organisaton,  Education – non-formal a education  Voluntary sector (community, society, culture, family) ADEA 2008 Biennale on Education in Africa Beyond Primary Education: Challenges and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in Africa 11

Beyond Primary Education: Challenges of and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in AfricaAssociation for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Biennale 2008 on Post-Primary Education ADEA 2008 Biennale on Education in Africa Beyond Primary Education: Challenges and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in Africa Various approaches to RPL 12

Beyond Primary Education: Challenges of and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in AfricaAssociation for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Biennale 2008 on Post-Primary Education  International Best Practice  Scotland – gaining credit versus personal/career development  Austria – bottom up approach  France – professional experiecne is enlarged to incldue experience in non-paid activity or voluntary work; work experience reduced from 5 yrs to 3 yrs.  Norway – developed validation proceures relevant to employment, third sector, upper secondary and higher education ADEA 2008 Biennale on Education in Africa Beyond Primary Education: Challenges and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in Africa 13

Beyond Primary Education: Challenges of and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in AfricaAssociation for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Biennale 2008 on Post-Primary Education  International Best Practice  Sweden – integration of immigration into labour force  Germany – 80 Further Education certificates recognized  South Africa – access to higher education for non- traditional students  Mauritius – improve employability  Namibia - NAMCOL access to its distance educational certificate courses ADEA 2008 Biennale on Education in Africa Beyond Primary Education: Challenges and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in Africa 14

Beyond Primary Education: Challenges of and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in AfricaAssociation for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Biennale 2008 on Post-Primary Education Institutional and structural dimensions  School based work-oriented bridge programmes helping potential dropouts  Complementary basic education programmes that are equivalent to formal education  ABET: adult learning takes into account competencies developed in life contextsNew institutional framework for skills development in South Africa ADEA 2008 Biennale on Education in Africa Beyond Primary Education: Challenges and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in Africa 15

Beyond Primary Education: Challenges of and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in AfricaAssociation for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Biennale 2008 on Post-Primary Education Institutional and structural dimensions  TVET: Second-chance – non-formal TVET  Higher education: Credit transfer programmes, Preparatory studies and access courses;  Workforce development programmes: or low qualified workers/casual labour; developing new qualifications in upcoming/competitive sectors; Skills recognition in the informal economy ADEA 2008 Biennale on Education in Africa Beyond Primary Education: Challenges and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in Africa 16

Beyond Primary Education: Challenges of and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in AfricaAssociation for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Biennale 2008 on Post-Primary Education Key messages  Ensure that NQFs are tackling the problem of exclusion NQFs are “enabling” frameworks not “prescriptive”  Develop “bottom-up” approaches rather than top down approaches  Develop Incremental approach – building blocks  There should be a better balance between qualification development and standards development,  Increase professionalisation of RPL Governments and stakeholders must recognize problems in introducing NQFs. 17

Beyond Primary Education: Challenges of and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in AfricaAssociation for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Biennale 2008 on Post-Primary Education Key messages  More strengthening of structured credit transfer  RPL:from assesment to accreditation  Costs of RPL must not be overlooked  updating and recognizing skills in the informal economy  Right to quality certification for all  Outcome based approaches need to be balanced by teaching and learning processes, provision and input  Recognizing different target groups. Governments and stakeholders must recognize problems in introducing NQFs. 18