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GENERAL ORIENTATION TO THE RESEARCH
Although quality assurance has recently become one of the most debated issues in the education and training arena, both nationally and internationally, literature on research that has been conducted in quality assurance in education and training programmes in business with special reference to adult literacy in South Africa is very scarce, except in higher education. This is one of the factors that motivated the researcher to examine this area so as to make a valuable contribution to the existing body of knowledge in the field of education and training.
Quality assurance in education and training programmes, including adult literacy, currently occurs within the framework of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and the NQF in South Africa. Providers, though, do develop robust internal quality assurance processes that suit their situations. This leads to a change in the role of national bodies such as Education and Training Quality Authorities (ETQAs) and Sectoral Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) that seek to ensure that the standards set are satisfied and that excellence in education and training is achieved. Their role changes from one of direct implementation of quality assurance procedures to the external validation of institutional quality assurance processes.
In the area of quality assurance in education and training programmes, Education, Training and Development Quality Assurance Divisions SETAs (ETDQAD SETAs) have been put in place in terms of the Skills Development Act (No. 97 of 1998). They are mainly responsible for:
• « Ensuring that an effective quality assurance system and infrastructure are in place to provide support to organisations in implementing education and training; and
• Establishing and maintaining high levels of education and training, quality learning and assessment, within the new skills development environment (The Star Newspaper: 2003:20). »
However, there is no scientific evidence as yet that serves as concrete evidence to demonstrate that ETDQADs have been effective in the promotion and enhancement of quality in training programmes in business (Allias, 2003:333). On the other hand, SETAs and the other bodies associated with them that are charged with the task of assuring quality and establishing and maintaining high levels of education and training, could not deliver on their mandates as expected, partly because the expectation was tempered with by a lower levy in 2000/01 (The Star 2003:20). As delivery agents, it is unthinkable that the SETAs and bodies associated with them could have delivered on their mandates in the absence of adequate financial resources. The SETAs survive on the skills development levies obtained from different companies. One of the mandates in terms of which the SETAs are expected to deliver results, is the implementation of their sector skills plans by
monitoring education and training in the sectors (Erasmus & Van Dyk:2003:38). It is for this reason that SETAs are designated as industry-based Education and Training Qualit Assurers (Allias, 2003:331).
The Skills Development Amendment Bill that was passed in August 2003, giving the Minister of Labour power to act against poorly performing SETAs could be an indication that not everything is going right with the SETAs regarding their additional responsibility for assuring quality and establishing and maintaining high levels of education and training.
Recent utterances of the Minister of Labour, Membathisi Mdladlana with regard to the amendments could also be a subtle indication confirming the researcher’s reading of the situation.
He said, “The performance of the SETAs is not the same and some of them need a push. The amendments are also meant at ensuring the SETAs operate within a system of checks and balances. The central reason for the amendments are to give me the right to fix the problems that have arisen, so that the skills revolution can accelerate at pace without being drawn back by the negative publicity that the bad apples inevitably attract.
So you will see in these amendments a new obligation on all SETAs to enter Service Level Agreements with the Department of Labour that clearly set out performance outcomes, and the Minister should take very clear steps if any SETA fails to meet its obligations in terms of these Agreements. For example, I shall have the power to instruct SETAs toremedy a problem, and if they fail to do so, then this will itself constitute grounds for the take over of their administration » (The Star, 2003:19).
It is also documented that since they were established in March 2000 to provide skills training to workers, the unemployed and those in small business, the SETAs have not made a meaningful impact (Mail & Guardian, 2005:8). The Mail & Guardian (2005:8) and Mpumalanga News (2005:4) further reported that SETAs have been accused of
• poor performance;
• delaying the launching of the NQF, which aims to integrate education and training;
• failure to spend more than R2 billion meant for skills development.
CHAPTER I: THEME ANALYSIS AND FORMULATION OF THE PROBLEM
1.1 GENERAL ORIENTATION TO THE RESEARCH
1.2 MOTIVATION FOR THE RESEARCH.
1.3 BRIEF MOTIVATION FOR DOING THE RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION MANAGEMENT
1.4 CIRCUMSTANCES THAT TRIGGERED THIS RESEARCH
1.5 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
1.6 HYPOTHESIS
1.7 AIM OF THE RESEARCH
1.8 OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH
1.9 RESEARCH APPROACH
1.10 RESEARCH DESIGN
1.11 DELIMITATION OF THE RESEARCH .
1.12 LIMITATIONS OF THE RESEARCH
1.13 POSSIBLE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH
1.14 RESEARCH PROGRAMME
1.15 OUTLINE OF CHAPTERS
1.16 DEFINITION AND CLARIFICATION OF TERMS
CHAPTER II: THE ORIGINS OF QUALITY AND THE INFLUENCE OF THE QUALITY MOVEMENT ON QUALITY ASSURANCE IN ADULT LITERACY IN SOUTH AFRICA
2.1 INTRODUCTION.
2.2 BRIEF HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF QUALITY.
2.3 THE NOTION OF QUALITY .
2.3.1 The controversial nature of the concept of ‘quality
2.3.2 Quality as exceptional or excellence
2.3.3 Quality as perfection or consistency
2.3.4 Quality as fitness for purpose .
2.3.5 Quality as value for money .
2.3.6 Quality as transformation.
2.4 STANDARDS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO QUALITY
2.5 QUALITY MOVEMENT
2.6 COMPARISON OF QUALITY PHILOSOPHIES
2.7 LESSONS LEARNT FROM A COMPARISON OF QUALITY
PHILOSOPHIES.
2.8 QUALITY ASSURANCE INSTRUMENTS
2.9 THE INFLUENCE OF THE QUALITY MOVEMENT ON QUALITY
ASSURANCE IN ADULT LITERACY IN SOUTH AFRICA
2.10 CONCLUSION.
CHAPTER III: INTERNATIONAL PRACTICES OF QUALITY ASSURANCE AND THEIR RELEVANCE TO ADULT LITERACY IN SOUTH AFRICA
3.1 INTRODUCTION..
3.2 INTERNATIONAL QUALITY ASSURANCE PRACTICES
3.3 INTERNATIONAL QUALITY ASSURANCE BODIES
3.4 EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN SOUTH AFRICA
3.5 CONCLUSION.
CHAPTER IV: QUALITY ASSURANCE IN ADULT LITERACY
4.1 INTRODUCTION.
4.2 OVERVIEW OF TRAINING AND ADULT LITERACY IN SOUTH AFRICA
4.2.1 Training
4.2.2 Adult literacy .
4.3 QUALITY ASSURANCE IN ADULT LITERACY IN SOUTH AFRICA.
4.4 SYNTHESIS
4.5 QUALITY ASSURANCE EXPERIENCES IN ADULT LITERACY FROM
SCOTLAND
4.6 POSSIBLE PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION AND QUALITY
IMPROVEMENT TOOLS FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING
4.7 HOW THE PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION AND QUALITY
IMPROVEMENT TOOLS RELATE TO THE RESEARCH STATEMENT
4.8 CONCLUSION
CHAPTER V: DATA-GATHERING PROCEDURES FOR THE RESEARCH.
CHAPTER VI: PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF COLLECTED DATA
CHAPTER VII: FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
