Shifting the education system to prepare students for a changing world ​

South Africa is dedicated to lifelong learning and has in the last 15 years been restructuring the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) to address these needs by establishing a unified framework for the country’s qualifications system. By standardising qualifications, it plays a significant role in both the education and employment sectors. Now progression can be shown from basic education to the highest level of academic and professional expertise. In other words, each level demonstrates the learning achievements and outcomes. Based on a qualifications NQF levels, employers can now determine if a candidate is suitable for a particular job. As a result, the new NQF levels in South Africa make it easier to compare and understand different qualifications, make University Qualifications and Occupational Qualifications comparable, while ensuring qualifications are recognised both in South Africa and around the world.

The South African National Qualifications Framework (NQF) has changed significantly since 2008 with the promulgation of the NQF Act 67 of 2008, which came into effect on 1 June 2009 and shifted the system from an 8-level to a 10-level NQF. This created a single, integrated national framework for learning achievements and facilitated access to mobility and progression within education, training and career paths, ultimately enhancing the quality of education and training.

The shift away from unit standards has been part of the broader strategy led by the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO). As the QCTO moves towards occupational qualifications and skills programmes that focuses on job roles rather than fragmented units of learning, this aims to create a unified system for recognising learning achievements and ensuring qualifications are relevant and aligned to national standards.

All qualifications across the NQF now focus on:

1. Modules – be it knowledge modules, practical modules or workplace experience or a combination thereof.
2. Defined assessment criteria and Exit level outcomes.
3. International comparability.

For Occupational qualifications, the "Organising Framework for Occupations" (OFO) which is a skills-based coded classification system used in South Africa to identify, report and monitor skills demand and supply in the labour market and act as a common language for understanding occupations, has also been incorporated into the development of occupational qualifications.

The OFO was developed by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) in 2005, extending the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) by incorporating additional occupations and occupational categories identified through research and consultation.

The OFO is structured from the bottom-up by analysing jobs, identifying similarities in tasks and skills, categorizing similar jobs into occupations, and classifying these occupations into occupational groups.

SETAs (Sector Education and Training Authorities) use the OFO codes to develop and report on Sectorial Priority Occupations list (SPOI). Employers use OFO codes to plan and develop their Workplace Skills Plans (WSPs) and Annual Training Reports (ATRs). The Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) also uses the OFO codes as a basis for occupational qualification development and certification. Just another important puzzle piece to the greater picture of holistic learning.

Although South Africa is still in a transition phase, in 2025, South Africa's education system is focused on strengthening foundations for learning, prioritising early childhood development, literacy and numeracy, while also addressing challenges like improving quality and access and preparing students for a changing world. The education system continues to address historical inequalities and promote social cohesion while incorporating a growing emphasis on integrating technology into education.

Heidi Kilian