Umalusi

1

• Umalusis presentation to the Basic Education
  Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on the
• 2008/9 Annual Report
• 27 October 2009
• Dr Mafu S Rakometsi

2

• Overview

• Purpose / Mandate Summarised
• External Environment Impact on Umalusi
• Organisational Performance per Unit
• Financial Information
• Current Issues and Way Forward
• Conclusion

3

• Purpose / Mandate Summarised

• While Umalusi has reported against its
  founding mandate in the 2008 / 2009 annual report
  it has been mindful of the changes that it would
  be required to make as it moved towards its role
  as a Quality Council, the mandate of which became
  effective on 1 June 2009. Umalusi therefore
  reports as an organization in transition.
• Umalusis mandate is determined by two Acts
  namely, the SAQA Act of 1995 now replaced by the
  National Qualifications Framework Act of 2008
  and the General and Further Education and
  Training Quality Assurance Act of 2001 amended in
  2008.

4

• Purpose / Mandate Summarised 2

• Umalusi is tasked with the following
• Qualifications
• Monitor and report on the adequacy and
  suitability of qualifications and standards in
  general and further education and training now
  extended to,
• Develop and manage a sub-framework of
  qualifications in collaboration with SAQA and the
  other two QCs supported by the necessary policies
  and processes.
• Quality Assurance
• Accredit private providers of education and
  training and assessment
• Promote quality amongst providers and ensure that
  providers adopt quality management systems
• Quality assure assessments at exit points and
  certify learner achievement
•  In the amended mandate these functions have
  remained the same except that the monitoring of
  provincial departments of education has been
  removed.
• Monitor provincial departments of education and
  report to the Minister

5

• Purpose / Mandate Summarised 3

• Information
• Maintain a database of learner achievements and
  related
• matters and submit such data in a format
  determined in
• consultation with the SAQA for recording on the
  national
• learners records database this requirement has
  remained the
• same
• Research
• While Umalusi has always grounded its work in
  research this function was only formalised under
  the new and extended mandate, which requires
  Umalusi to commission and publish research on
  issues of importance to the development and
  implementation of the sub-framework

6

• Purpose / Mandate Summarised 4

• Advice and Collaboration
• Omitted in the founding mandate but included
  in the amended mandate is the formalization of
  relationships which include
• Advice to the relevant Minister on matters
  relating to its sub-framework
• Collaboration with the SAQA and other QCs in
  terms of the education and training system
• Establishment of co-operative relationships with
  professional bodies
• Advocacy of the sub-framework of qualifications

7

• External Environment Impact on Umalusi
  

• While maintaining the old and routine
  quality assurance work Umalusi has also had to
  accommodate development of functions to support
  the new and extended mandate and much of what
  has been reported is associated with the
  transition. Certain aspects in the macro
  environment that have affected Umalusi are as
  follows
• The passing of the NQF Act in 2009 changes in
  the roles and responsibilities of the various
  bodies in the quality assurance landscape
• The amendment of the GENFETQA Act in 2008 the
  extended mandate which has required more capacity
  and a review of Umalusis positions and
  approaches
• The amendment of the Skills Development Act and
  the establishment of the QCTO with new approaches
  that impact on the work of Umalusi
• Amendment of the HE Act with approaches that
  impact on Umalusis work

8

• External Environment Impact on Umalusi
  

• The introduction of two new and high profile
  qualifications during this time namely the
  National Senior Certificate to replace the old
  Senior Certificate and the National Certificate
  Vocational to replace the old National Technical
  Certificates
• A change in Chief Executive Officers towards the
  end of the 2008 / 2009 financial year
• Not anticipated in 2008, was the splitting of the
  Education Ministry which has placed Umalusi in
  the position of straddling the education and
  training system in respect of its quality
  assurance work, reporting lines and funding
  streams

9

• Umalusis Quality Assurance Regime 2008

• Umalusi believes that educational standards and
  quality are set and maintained through a
  combination of processes and interventions and
  designed its rigorous quality assurance regime
  for 2008 to encompass the following
• Evaluation and benchmarking of existing
  qualifications and curricula (Intended
  curriculum) and issuing authentic certificates
• Ensuring through external moderation processes
  and benchmarking that assessments at exit points
  are of an acceptable standard and that the
  examinations are conducted in a credible manner
  through verifying the national and provincial
  monitoring systems (Examined curriculum)
• Ensuring that standardisation processes are
  reliable, consistent and standardisation
  decisions upheld
• Accrediting private institutions (schools, FET
  colleges and Adult Centres), and private
  assessment bodies to offer / assess the
  qualifications it certifies (Enacted curriculum)

10

• Qualifications, Curriculum Certification Unit
  (QCC)

•  
• The role of QCC is to ensure and enhance the
  status and quality of the qualifications Umalusi
  certifies. Quality assuring the qualifications
  and their related curricula is QCCs contribution
  to the overall quality of the certificate which
  Umalusi issues. This function also oversees the
  issuing and verification of certificates.
• (Qualifications SC NSC N3 NCV 2 and 3 GETC
  adults)

11

• Qualifications, Curriculum Certification

April 2008 March 2009 COMMENTS
Policy development Framework of Qualifications in GFET developed and consulted. Criteria guidelines for development and evaluation of qualifications and curricula developed. Completed as per plan
Curriculum evaluated and benchmarked NSC Maintaining Standards project supported GETC Adults curriculum evaluated Foundation phase curriculum evaluation commenced Completed as per plan
Certificates issued, excluding subject certificates 778 445 certificates printed across qualifications 171 858 certificates verified Issued in line with directives and guidelines
12

• Quality Assurance of Assessments Unit (QAA)

• This function entails establishing,
  maintaining and improving standards and quality
  in assessment at exit points in General and
  Further Education and Training. In order to
  fulfil this function, Umalusi uses five key
  processes
• external moderation of question papers
• verification of monitoring the conduct of
  examinations
• external moderation of marking
• external moderation of continuous assessment and
• standardisation of assessment results.
• (Qualifications SC NSC N3 NCV 2 and 3 GETC
  adults)

13

• Quality Assurance of Assessment

April 2008 March 2009 COMMENTS
Ext Moderation of Question Papers NSC 338 papers (DoE IEB OAER ) ABET DoE - 23 learning areas (23 X4 sets 92 papers) IEB - 6 learning areas (6 X4 sets 24 papers) N2-N3 25 papers NCV level 2 40 papers NCV level 3 28 papers NCV level 3 ISAT (Integrated Summative Assessment task) 9 Completed as per plan Report submitted to the Minister of Education on all 2008 exams
Moderation of marking NSC 26 National (Centralised and On-site) ABET 4 learning areas across 9 PDEs IEB N2- N3 9 subjects NCV level 2 8 subjects 24 ISATs NCV level 3 13 subjects 13 ISATs Completed per plan Report submitted to the Minister of Education on all 2008 exams
14

• Quality Assurance of Assessments

April 2008 March 2009 COMMENTS
CASS NSC 30 subjects across DoE, IEB and OAER ABET 2 Fundamental learning areas (LLC English and Mathematical Literacy) across 9 PDEs and IEB NCV 21 level 2 and level 3 subjects sampled across PDEs All CASS moderated as per plan Report submitted to the Minister of Education on all 2008 exams
Verifying monitoring conduct of exams NSC 217 sites ABET 64 N2 - N3 NCV 51 sites All monitoring conducted as per plan Report submitted to the Minister of Education on all 2008 exams
15

• Quality Assurance of Assessments

April 2008 March 2009 COMMENTS
CTA moderation for schools DoE 18 learning areas IEB 10 learning areas Completed as per plan
Standardisation NSC DoE- 56 subjects IEB -56 subjects incl. non-official languages OAER - 27 subjects N2- N3 393 subjects (4 exams) NCV level 2 54 subjects NCV level 3 55 subjects ABET DoE 23 learning areas (2 exams) IEB 6 learning areas (2 exams) Completed as per plan Report submitted to the Minister of Education on all 2008 exams
16

• Evaluation and Accreditation Unit
• (EA)

• The evaluation and accreditation function is
  responsible for the accreditation and monitoring
  of private institutions offering the
  qualifications Umalusi certifies. The unit
  evaluates,
• The capacity of education and training providers
  to implement registered qualifications and
  approved curriculum they seek accreditation for
  and
• The capacity of providers and assessment bodies
  to conduct practical, internal, and external
  assessment of learner achievement, leading to the
  issuing of registered qualifications by Umalusi.
  

17

• Evaluation and Accreditation of Private Providers

Provisional Accreditation and Monitoring Provisional Accreditation and Monitoring
March 2008 April 2009 COMMENTS
Independent Schools 450 monitored 150 new Prov accredited Completed per plan
Private FET Colleges 86 monitored 91 new learning sites Prov accredited Registration 197 Umalusi providers recommended to DoE 171 SETA providers processed and referred to DoE Completed per plan
AET Centres 23 monitored 7 new centres Prov accredited Completed per plan
18

• Evaluation and Accreditation of Private Providers

Institutional Site Visits Institutional Site Visits
April 2008 March 2009 COMMENTS
Independent schools - site visits 229 Completed
Private FET college sites visited 203 Completed
Private AET centres visited 7 Completed
Resubmission of regulatory framework for accreditation Awaiting regulation
19

• Evaluation and Accreditation of Assessment Bodies

April 2008 March 2009 COMMENTS
4 new applicants supported through development programme 2 AET assessment bodies 2 Vocational assessment bodies Concluded per plan
Independent Examinations Board (IEB) and Onafhanklike Afrikaanse Eksamensraad (OAER) monitored Concluded per plan
Evaluation of the assessment system for the National Certificate Vocational Project concluded report published
20

• Statistical Information and Research Unit
• (SIR)

• The mandate of the SIR unit is to conduct
  research as identified by the needs of the
  organisation and report on the key indicators of
  quality and standards in general and further
  education and training the establishment and
  maintenance of databases to lead statistical
  research and analysis and to inform and provide
  statistical support for the work in other units.
  The SIR Unit also plays a role in organizational
  and professional development at Umalusi.
•  

21

• Statistical Information and Research

April 2008 March 2009 Comment
Maintaining Standards Report - Part 1 Overview -Part 2 Detailed Curricula Analysis -Part 3 Detailed Exam Paper Analysis Findings presented at the 2008 standardization meeting.
Signaling Performance A report on the correlation between continuous assessment and exam mark Report published May 2008
The role of IRT in selected examination system A literature review on the item response theory and how it is used in different countries Report published September 2008
Foundation Phase comparative curriculum evaluation Practical Assessment Best Practice HESA equivalence setting Conceptualised and commissioned
22

• Management Support Structures (MSS)

• Management Support Structures ensures that
• Strategic plans are in place and that the
• organisation carries out its remit
• Corporate Governance
• Advocacy of Umalusis work
• Stakeholders relationships

23

• Management Support Structures

April 2008 March 2009 COMMENTS
Strategic and business plans developed, implemented and monitored New planning cycle developed and organisational reports published as required Policies developed and implemented after Council approval Performance evaluated and monitored quarterly
Organisational governance maintained Council meetings conducted, committees supported and services rendered
PR and communications strategy implemented Communication strategy implemented per plan
Stakeholder relationships established and managed Relationships forged and maintained with political structures, DoE, and other statutory and quality assurance bodies
24

• Information Technology Systems

April 2008 March 2009 COMMENTS
Hardware procured 3 HP printers 7 personal computers 2 Servers 325 computer components 15 laptops 35 network points Equipment installed with SLAs implemented and network support meeting expectations.
Software 7 different applications Software licensing up to date.
Programming MIS development Certification system MIS project is ongoing improving operational output. Certification system NCV Level 4 system developed and NSC System implemented.
Network support Business continuity High availability solution in place for crucial servers. Disaster Recovery strategy was developed and agreed upon. The DRP is now in the process of development and will be completed by June 2009.
25

• Finance, HRD Admin Support

April 2008 March 2009 COMMENTS
Finance, SCM and buildings Unqualified audit (history of organization) Creditors were paid within 30 days Building Improvements - R 1,040 m Upgrading of building to suit organizational requirements continues. Undercover parking bays converted into additional office space, security was enhanced with CCTV and palisade fencing.
Human resources Bursaries to staff R 56 156 In house training R 89 185 Short courses R 39 024 All 74 staff benefited Development of staff a priority with greater budget demands for 2009/10 and beyond
26

• Financial Performance 2008/9

Revenue Certification, verification and accreditation Revenue Certification, verification and accreditation Amount
Revenue Certification, verification and accreditation Revenue Certification, verification and accreditation 27,019,914
Department of Education Grant Department of Education Grant 16,044,000
Interest and other income Interest and other income 3,370,454
Total Income Total Income R 46,434,368
Expenditure Expenditure 41,378,379
Surplus Surplus R 5,055,989

27

• Financial Position 2008/9

Assets 14,453,789
Property equipment 14,290,658
Intangible assets 163,131
Current Assets 30,170,246
Trade other receivables 5,047,446
Cash cash equivalents 25,122,800
TOTAL ASSETS R 44,624,035
Equity
Accumulated surplus 39,109,004
Liabilities
Trade other payables 5,515,031
TOTAL EQUITY LIABILITIES R 44 624 035


28

• Total Income 2000/1 ( actual) to 2012/13 ( budget)

YEAR INCOME BUDGET DoE GRANT GRANT
2000/01 R 6,150,786 0 0
2001/02 R 7,027,948 0 0
2002/03 R 13,757,861 R 1,513,000 11
2003/04 R 18,076,902 R 3,050,000 17
2004/05 R 23,547,626 R 12,869,000 55
2005/06 R 28,603,979 R 7,690,000 27
2006/07 R 32,972,345 R 10,286,000 31
2007/08 R 36,013,566 R 12,652,000 35
2008/09 R 46,434,368 R 16,044,000 35
2009/10 R 53,843,713 R 16,494,000 31
2010/11 R 69,481,474 R 17,350,000 25
2011/12 R 80,656,970 R 18,391,000 23
2012/13 R 92,723,528 R 19,311,000 21
29

• Current Issues and the Way Forward

• Certification of 2008 learners Certification was
  concluded in August 2009 - normally done in May
  /June - due to a revised look and format required
  by the Minister of Education
• Later release of 2009 Matric results This was
  agreed to ensure that Umalusi has the space to
  assure the resulting process before approval of
  results new initiative to strengthen the
  quality assurance process

30

• Current Issues and the Way Forward

• Umalusis line of accountability Split Ministry
  has placed Umalusi in a straddled position i.r.o
  its sub-framework of qualifications and quality
  assurance thereof
• Funding model With the declining grant
  percentage Umalusi has proposed to NDoE for a
  move from a certification fee to a Quality
  Assurance Levy

31

• Conclusion

• The NQF review finalization is welcomed -
  consultative processes have begun with the
  Departments of Basic and Higher Education,
  DOL(QCTO), and related stakeholders.
• Thanks to the Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Ms
  F I Chohan and her members for their support.