SAQA Bulletin: Volume 10 Number 1: March 2007

The theme of this edition is building communities of trust for lifelong learning. The papers explore the possibility of building trust while confronted by a legacy of distrust inherited from Apartheid. They also look at the journey of South Africa’s education system, commend achievements and note challenges for revisiting. These lifelong learning efforts are warned against imitating European trends for development without any attempt at originality. The papers also reflect on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Impact Study and determine how the NQF influences thinking and practice around democracy, equality and quality in South Africa. The last paper in the Bulletin is dialogue on issues raised by SAQA’s former Chairperson, Professor Shirley Walters, in her March 2006 lecture.

Contents of this Bulletin

1. Acronyms and abbreviations
2. Editorial comment
3. Chairperson’s foreword
4. ‘Optimism of the will, pessimism of the intellect’: Building communities of trust in South Africa
5. Partnerships for quality education
6. The development of a Southern African Development Community Qualifications Framework
7. The impact of the implementation of the National Qualifications Framework on education and training in South Africa
8. Reflections on the keynote paper of the SAQA Chairperson’s Lecture and discussion on recognising learning and its outcomes