Question NW1742 to the MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION:

Reply:

The National Framework Towards Professionalisation of the Public Sector has not as yes been approved by the Cabinet. The National Framework Towards Professionalisation of the Public Sector take cognisance of the fact that there are senior officials who do not have the requisite qualifications and the National Framework makes the following proposals to address this:

1. The National School of Government will collaborate with Professional Bodies and Higher Education Institutions to professionalise the Public Service. The NSG has already put systems in place to ensure the realisation of this proposal in the following manner:

a) For existing public servants –

(i) The NSG is working with the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations for accreditation and registration of qualifications on the Occupational Qualification Sub-Framework from NQF Level 5-8, with the aim of professionalising the public sector (National, Provincial, Local government and Public Enterprises). These will form part of the compulsory suit of qualifications that the NSG will roll out in the public sector. This will replace the non-credit bearing senior management programmes that the NSG is currently offering. It will also assist the NSG to apply the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Policy to recognise the knowledge and experience acquired by public servants who enrolled and completed these programmes previously through formal, informal and non- formal learning.

(ii) Secondly, the NSG is at its final stage of granting a bid/tender to one of the Higher Education Institutions (HEI) to collaborate in the accreditation and registration of a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Affairs & African Governance at NQF Level 8. Public servants will be recruited to study this qualification through that institution and some modules will be offered by the NSG. For this qualification, the Institution’s RPL Policy will be used to recognise the prior learning of the public servants.

(iii) Thirdly, the NSG finalised the design of an executive management qualification that will be registered at NQF Level 8 with the Council on Higher Education. The NSG is working with the Department of Higher Education & Training to declared it as a College to offer Higher Education Qualifications without changing its current structure like other existing government colleges for e.g., “Western Cape Government College of Emergency Care” who have already registered qualifications on the NQF. This qualification is meant to professionalise the executive management who do not have qualifications in the public sector. It has also been designed using some of the content of the existing NSG suites of non-credit bearing executive programmes. This will assist the NSG to apply its RPL Policy to recognise the knowledge and experience acquired by the public servants who enrolled and completed these programmes previously through formal, informal and non- formal learning.

(iv) Once the qualifications have been registered on the NQF, the NSG will also implement its RPL Policy to recognise the experience and knowledge acquired by the public servants through formal, informal non formal learning in the following manner:

• The RPL to grant access to study for a qualification to public servants who do not meet the admission requirements;
• The RPL for credits by exempting public servants to study certain modules of the qualification to recognise the knowledge and experience acquired through studying certain courses with the NSG that are related to the qualifications that are registered on the NQF;
• The RPL for access to the External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA): Public servants will be given access to write external integrated summative assessment (final examination) if they demonstrate the ability that they have met the outcomes required for the qualification.

b) The other initiative for professionalising the public service is the collaboration with statutory and non-statutory professional bodies recognised by SAQA. Various Departments including the NSG will collaborate with professional bodies in their area of work, e.g., for professional registration of public servants with professional bodies. This means that public servants who do not meet the criteria for registration or to be awarded professional designations will be required to go through the professional bodies’ processes to meet the criteria, through RPL or studying certain programmes designed by the professional bodies in collaboration with the NSG or Higher Education Institutions. Professional bodies will also play a critical role for designing programmes in collaboration with the NSG for continuing professional development of the public servants.

c) The above initiatives will assist in the professionalisation of senior government officials to ensure that positions are filled by qualified and competent officials.

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