New school qualifications for youths and adults

THE DEPARTMENT of Higher Education and Training is developing two new qualifications for out-of-school youths and adults.

The Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training, Umalusi, has proposed a General Education and Training Certificate for Adults (Getca) and a National Senior Certificate for Adults (Nasca).

This is now under consideration by Minister for Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande.

According to the department, the Getca will be accredited at NQF Level 1, equivalent to Grade 9, and the Nasca will be accredited at NQF Level 4, equivalent to a Grade 12 certificate.

Education spokesperson Madikwe Mabotha said the two new qualifications were intended to create a “clear learning pathway for out- ofschool youth and adults”.

The Getca would replace the General Education and Training Certificate offered in community education and training colleges and community learning centres.

He said the qualifications would provide out- of- school youth over the age of 18 and other adults with a chance to acquire knowledge and skills that would enable them to par- ticipate in social, political and economic spheres of life.

The qualifications were designed to allow for different ways of learning, including contact teaching and distance learning.

Mabotha said no date had been set for the new qualifications to be rolled out as the department still needed to find funding for curriculum development.

Weekend Argus has previously reported about backlogs in certification of the national certificate and courses offered at technical and vocational education and training colleges which led to many former students missing out on work opportunities because they could not produce certificates.

Mabotha said this would not be the case with the proposed new qualifications.

“The structure of the proposed qualifications differs from the National Certificate (Vocational) NCV and N courses offered in TVET Colleges.

“They require candidates to sit for only a national examination without any qualification requirements for continuous assessment tasks and integrated summative assessment tasks,” he said.

He added that the department intended ensuring there was capacity to administer and manage examinations for the proposed qualifications.