03 Aug 2018

The Botswana Qualifications Authority (BQA) Acting CEO, Ms Selebo Jobe has promised education and training providers a smooth transition to National Credit and Qualifications Framework (NCQF) through continuous engagement. 

Setting the tone for a one-day Technical and Vocational Education and Training Providers (conventional) consultation workshop in Gaborone on July 31, Ms Jobe said the idea was to engage with education providers regularly to ease the transition. 

She said the aim was not to shut out education providers, but to continuously engage with them to help in understanding the transition process. 

The engagement, she said was aimed at making clear the process of transiting from the old system, adding that the BQA key transition strategy had three stages of registration and accreditation of the education, training providers and registration of qualifications as well as accreditation of the learning programmes that the education providers should follow. 

Registration and accreditation, she said entailed change from TI number to ETP number after registration, followed by registration of qualifications, adding that was a new stage to both BQA and the education providers. 

She said most education providers had the learning programmes that needed to be transited and be linked to a qualification registered in the framework. 

Ms Jobe said registration of qualifications was a new stage to both BQA and the education providers. 

She noted that there was a comprehensive 10 level framework, which incorporated General Education (GE), Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), as well as Education Training Providers (ETPs), noting that Botswana was among the first five countries within the SADC region to establish the framework. 

She said GE was aimed at registering and accrediting ETPs within the GE sub system, adding that these are ETPs from early childhood, primary and secondary both junior and senior. 

Ms Jobe said TVET was aimed at registering and accrediting ETPs within the TVET sub system such as universities and colleges. 

Giving an insight of how the transition was going, the Acting Director Quality Assurance, Mr Vincent Molefe said that out of 63 possible TVET, 42 applications had been received for existing ETPs and 18 new entrants, noting that out of 42, 33 were private ETPs, while nine were public. 

He said so far 20 conventional ETPs have been registered and accredited. 

Mr Molefe said BQA was challenged by a limited pool of experts to support accreditation and validation processes, adding that they were getting experts from SADC Regulators and engaging professional bodies. ENDS