New qualifications framework drawn up
23.09.2009
A new framework has been drawn up to match educational qualifications with the length of the courses needed to gain them.
This follows research by the Seychelles Qualifications Authority (SQA) that showed an inconsistency between the hours of study and the qualifications given to students.
The National Qualifications Framework was introduced yesterday when teachers, school managers and education officials learned about the roles of the SQA during a seminar held at the National Institute of Education.
The event was organised as part of Careers Week 2009 and also saw a number of presentations about the University of Seychelles.
“There was a considerable degree of inconsistency between the length of courses, the level of their demand and the level of qualifications given,” said SQA officials.
“The opportunities for progression from one level of training to another were also rather haphazard and often non-existent, so we positioned local qualifications on the framework according to their length in terms of notional hours and their cognitive challenge.”
A table given to the delegates shows that a professional certificate is awarded to secondary school certificate holders after 1,200 extra hours of study, an advanced certificate after 2,400 notional hours, and a diploma after 3,600 hours, while an advanced diploma can be given after a further 1,200 hours of learning.
A degree requires 3,600 hours after higher school certificate qualifications, a postgraduate qualification a further 1,200 hours and a masters degree an extra 1,600, while a doctorate of philosophy needs 3,600 more hours.
Certificates of attendance are not considered as qualifications, the delegates were told.
SQA chairman Selby Dora said the seminar was important because it gave those who attended the kind of information they need to pass on to students and other people who ask about the authority and how it works.
“You need to know more and update yourself on the various aspects of the SQA. It is important because you guide learners to make decisions,” he said.
He asked them to pass on the information to their colleagues, who may spread it further.
The delegates were told the SQA is three years old and deals with quality assurance, safeguarding educational standards and training, as well as qualifications database management.
It falls under the Ministry of Education but is headed by a board chaired by Mr Dora, and its chief executive is Jean-Michel Domingue.
“The SQA brings all qualifications in Seychelles together and shows the inter-relationship between them,” the delegates were told.
“It also provides a ladder by which you can rise to the next level of qualifications,” a presenter said.
The delegates also heard that the authority is always on the lookout for fake qualifications and takes action whenever any are found.
“By law, as part of the regulations that make up the National Qualifications Framework, it is the responsibility of the SQA to establish the equivalence of recognition of qualifications, be they local or foreign,” said SQA officials.
“As the effects of globalisation have become more apparent, especially in the form of an increasingly mobile workforce and qualifications that claim to be portable, the need to address issues relating to equivalence has become more urgent. An increasing number of expatriates entering the country have underlined this need.
“Additionally, most of the country’s graduates have obtained their higher education from countries with different awarding systems, thus there is always a need to establish the level of some of their qualifications for employment and salary purposes.”