What exactly is Saqa?

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The South African Qualifications Authority (Saqa) is in charge of ensuring and maintaining high standards in higher education and training in South Africa.

The South African Qualifications Authority (Saqa) is in charge of ensuring and maintaining high standards in higher education and training in South Africa.

What exactly is Saqa?

Saqa is a legal corporation with a board of directors made up of business, labor, education, and training professionals. The Minister of Higher Education and Training appoints this board.

The major goal of Saqa is to ensure that the National Qualifications Framework, often known as the NQF, is implemented.

This is a comprehensive system for the ‘classification, registration, publication, and articulation of quality-assured national qualifications,’ as approved by the Minister.

In this way Saqa ensures that individual qualifications meet the requirements established by the Department of higher education and training and the relevant industry.

This is important for the local and national recognition of skills and knowledge acquired during training.

SAQA Services

One of Saqa’s key functions is to verify the qualifications that an individual has achieved. Anyone can request a copy of their own transcript of achievements from the National Learners’ Records Database. This document will show all the qualifications that an individual has achieved, at whichever college or training provider they attended. Individuals can apply for their transcript on the
saqa website.

Saqa also oversees the implementation of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). RPL is a process through which formal, non-formal and informal learning are measured. This is very useful for people who have been working for many years performing a function in the workplace but haven’t got a formal qualification for it.

For more information on Saqa’s services and role visit http://www.saqa.org.za/show.php?id=5688