HIGHER EDUCATION CONTEXT COMPETENCIES

The Council on Higher Education (CHE) and the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) ensure the quality, credibility, and registration of qualifications within South Africa's National Qualifications Framework (NQF). The CHE acts as the Quality Council for higher education (accrediting programmes and advising the Minister), while SAQA manages the NQF, ensuring qualifications are registered and internationally comparable.

• Quality Assurance: The CHE, through its Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC), is responsible for auditing higher education institutions and accrediting programmes.
• Policy Advice: It advises the Minister of Higher Education and Training on policy matters, including the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework (HEQSF).
• Standards Development: The CHE develops standards for qualifications to ensure they align with the NQF, while upholding institutional autonomy.
• Monitoring and Research: It researches and monitors trends in higher education to improve quality.

• NQF Management: SAQA oversees the development and implementation of the NQF, a single integrated framework for learning achievements.
• Registration of Qualifications: SAQA ensures that higher education qualifications and part-qualifications are registered and recognized.
• Foreign Qualification Evaluation: SAQA evaluates foreign qualifications to determine their South African equivalent.
• Professional Bodies: It recognizes professional bodies and registers professional designations.

• CHE and SAQA work together on registering qualifications and managing the HEQSF, ensuring coherence and quality in the education system.
• They communicate together, as seen in Joint Communique 1 of 2025, regarding the reregistration of qualifications.

• https://www.che.ac.za/
• https://saqa.org.za/

Centre for Academic Planning and Quality Promotion (CAPQP) -https://www.uj.ac.za/teaching-and-learning/division-for-teaching-excellence/centre-for-academic-planning-and-quality-promotion-capqp/

The functions of the Centre for Academic Planning and Quality Promotion (CAPQP) are twofold: academic planning and quality promotion.

Academic Planning

• CAPQP promotes the strategic alignment of academic planning with the UJ mission and national requirements, i.e. the alignment of qualifications to the Higher Education Qualifications Sub Framework (HEQSF) and programme submissions to the DHET, CHE and SAQA. Academic Support in the planning, approval and good governance of qualifications is an integral part of academic planning at UJ.
• CAPQP provides support for the planning of new qualifications in line with the HEQSF, national and institutional policy, and supports the management and review of existing qualifications in line with institutional and national policy.

Academic Planning Functions

• Quality assurance
• Regulatory matters
• Professional body accreditations
• DHET, CHE, SAQA processes
• Internal programme approvals
• Programme amendment
• Curriculum transformation

Quality Promotion

CAPQP is also responsible for facilitating programme quality reviews in the University. The development of review processes and manuals for faculties and academic development, service and support divisions is part and parcel of quality promotion at the University. Reviews address the HEQC focus areas and incorporate criteria pertinent to the UJ context.

• UJ Short Learning Programme (SLP) Policy
• UJ Academic Programme Policy
• UJ Teaching and Learning Policy
• UJ Work-Integrated Education (WIE) Policy

Contact CAPQP viahttps://www.uj.ac.za/teaching-and-learning/division-for-teaching-excellence/staff/