Last Sunday, Mr Carmel Saliba made a very valid contribution to the Malta Qualifications Council's appeal to engage stakeholders in a structured dialogue on a proposed National Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (NQF).
For Mr Saliba's elucidation, the Malta Qualifications Council, set up in December 2005, is governed by Legal Notice 347. Clause 5 (1) of LN347 states that the overall objective of the Malta Qualifications Council is to steer the development of the National Qualifications Framework and to oversee the training and certification leading to qualifications within the Framework and which is not already provided for at compulsory education institutions or degree awarding bodies. Consequently, graduate and post-graduate qualifications at Levels 6, 7 and 8 in the NQF are not within the jurisdiction of MQC.
The hypothetical case raised by Mr Saliba concerning a qualification which claims to be at a level beyond an undergraduate diploma will not be addressed by MQC.
MQC is currently addressing the implications and ramifications raised by the NQF relating to all training programmes at Levels 1 to 5.
It is the exit point for every level of qualification that, in the opinion of the Council, should determine the level of qualification achieved by the learner. The entry point to each level will be determined by the training provider according to set principles and criteria which ensure successful learning at that level.
This position echoes the assertion by the Director General for Education and Culture of the Commission, Odile Quintin who said (in a speech in Espoo, Finland, last October) that "public authorities are asked to take the lead in removing the barriers..." in the participation of adult learning. By adult learning she means "all forms of learning undertaken by adults after having left initial education and training".
MQC's role is to ensure that learners who achieve a level of qualification are equipped with the knowledge, skills and competences related to such level of qualification (or level of difficulty) as defined in the NQF. In fact, a quick glance at the levels of qualifications in the proposed NQF highlights the fact that certificates, diplomas and degrees cater for the widest possible spectrum of learners which should include everyone wishing to enter or re-enter the lifelong process of training and education.
A National Qualifications Framework is a credit system for all abilities from the lowest to the highest. It includes compulsory, vocational and higher education. It encompasses every system of knowledge, skills and competences. It spans all sectors of education and training as well as employment. As a matter of fact, Malta's three-gate National Qualifications Framework classifies qualifications by exit points, by sector and by occupation.
MQC wants to deliver a clear and unequivocal message to all citizens that learning is possible at any stage of their life and with any measurable knowledge, skills and competences that the individual possesses. MQC's remit is to facilitate learning, progression, mobility and accreditation of learning experiences in a transparent and accessible manner.
Since January, MQC has sought to design and propose a National Qualifications Framework which would ultimately achieve parity of esteem between vocational and academic qualifications. It has also established a structured dialogue with public and private training providers. It has set up working groups to design level descriptors for Key Competences for Lifelong Learning. It has successfully engaged itself in European projects in order to widen its expertise and increase its capacity building.
MQC's challenge is to promote and maintain a NQF so that all levels of certification are quality assured and receive adequate validation and accreditation. Furthermore, MQC is working towards the establishment of occupational standards for levels of qualifications and in the setting up of Sector Skills Units to engage in the accreditation and validation of sectoral qualifications.
Mr Saliba's article comes at a time when MQC is consulting stakeholders so that Malta's National Qualifications Framework will become an agreed tool for rewarding learning outcomes and all other learning experiences gained through informal, non-formal or prior learning mechanisms. People should be rewarded for what they have learnt but also for what they are capable of doing.
Dr James Calleja, acting chief executive of the Malta Qualifications Council of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Employment.