Accreditation Explained
Umalusi accredits private providers of education and training as well as private assessment bodies to offer tuition and/or assessment for qualification(s) on the General and Further Education and Training Qualifications Sub-Framework (GFETQSF).
This means that Umalusi accredits the following institutions:
- Independent schools;
- Private Further Education and Training Colleges (FET Colleges);
- Private Adult Education and Training providers;
- Private assessment bodies that assess the qualifications Umalusi certifies.
In accrediting institutions Umalusi is guided by policy documents that contain criteria for accreditation for each institutional type.
Umalusi does not accredit public providers.
Instead, Umalusi monitors and reports on the quality of the qualifications and curricula used in public schools, TVET colleges and Adult Learning Centres, and externally monitors the national assessment system.
Registration and Accreditation – the relationship
Umalusi is mandated to accredit private providers of education and training, and assessment bodies. The accreditation process is closely linked and dependent on the process of registration with the state which private providers of education and training (schools, FET colleges and adult learning centres) are obliged to comply with the South African Constitution. Private assessment bodies are not currently required to register with the State.
Registration grants the private provider the license to operate in South Africa. Accreditation on the other hand is a status granted to a private provider at the end of a quality assurance process and attests to the quality of provision offered. Private providers are accredited to offer / assess specific qualifications on the General and Further Education and Training Qualifications Framework.
Application for Accreditation
Who should apply for accreditation
Only private providers of education and training and private assessment bodies that wish to provide tuition and/or assess qualifications on the General and Further Education and Training Qualifications Framework should apply. These include:
- Independent schools
- Private Further Education and Training Colleges (FET Colleges)
- Private Adult Education and Training Centres
- Private assessment bodies that assess the qualifications Umalusi certifies
The application process
The application process commences with an “Expression of Intent” which can be completed and submitted on-line.
Once the “expression of intent” has been submitted and screened to ensure that the private provider falls within the scope of Umalusi’s quality assurance mandate, the applicant will be contacted and the process taken forward.