A HIGHER EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK FOR RWANDA

1. INTRODUCTION

Increasingly countries are introducing national qualifications framework (NQF) integrating the school sector, the vocational education and training sector and the higher education sector. The reasons for an NQF are multifarious and include:

(i) Providing for a nationally consistent recognition of outcomes achieved in education and training;

(ii) Helping in developing flexible pathways which assist people to move more easily between education and training sectors and between those sectors and the labour market by providing the basis for recognition of prior learning, including credit transfer and work and life experience;

(iii) Allowing for transferability and portability of qualifications;

(iv) Allowing for well-developed qualifications standards; and

(v) Helping to maintain international comparability and standards.

The Rwandan higher education sector is fast expanding and diversifying with a multiplicity of providers and this trend is set to continue. It is therefore of utmost importance that a single and coordinated sector is developed with consistent use of qualification titles and a sound public understanding of the achievements represented by the various higher education qualifications. A framework for higher education qualifications will prove to be an important means to achieve the above purpose and also in promoting confidence in academic standards. The other benefits of the framework will include the following:

(i) Providing a clear and accurate information about the purposes and outcomes represented by the qualification titles in a form that are useful to all of its stakeholders – policy makers, providers, parents, users, employers, prospective students, etc.;

(ii) Forming explicit reference points by which to distinguish the character, level and intended outcomes of higher education qualifications;

(iii) Forming the basis for a consistent use of qualification titles within higher education;

(iv) Enabling employers, learners, and the public in general to understand the range of qualifications, how qualifications can contribute to improving skills, how qualifications relate to one another, and to clarify potential routes for progression and credit transfer, particularly in the context of wider participation and lifelong learning; and

• helping to maintain international comparability of standards.

The framework for higher education will thus address an external audience of policy makers, employers, students, etc. who need reliable information about higher education qualifications. It will also address an internal audience of those who design and approve programmes, and also must ensure that appropriate standards are maintained, and those who evaluate standards. In the diversifying and expanding Rwandan higher education system, the need for clear public information, agreed points of reference and consistency of nomenclature assumes a new importance. In the process, the coherence of the higher education system will be improved, articulation of qualifications will be facilitated thereby enabling the flexibility of the system and enabling students to move efficiently over time from one programme to another and between institutions as they pursue their academic and professional careers. It would be necessary for the higher education qualifications framework to be an integral part of the national qualifications framework comprising qualifications in schools, and those of the vocational education and training as is the case in other countries which implement a national qualifications framework.

2. PRINCIPLES UNDERPINNING THE FRAMEWORK FOR HIGHER EDUCATIONAL QUALFIICATIONS

At this early stage in the development process of a Rwandan higher education qualifications framework, it is important that there is agreement on the broad underpinning principles. In this regard, it is proposed that the following principles should underpin the framework:

(i) The framework should be based on defined levels, generic qualification descriptors and consistency of nomenclature and credit of those qualifications;

(ii) a qualification is awarded to mark the achievement of defined outcomes, not a compensation for failure at a higher level, as by default;

(iii) Each module (or other element of a programme) should be defined in terms of its intended learning outcomes, its level, duration and its credit volume;

(iv) Differentiation between levels should not be based on the nature of the learning or scholarship involved, e.g. whether a programme is taught or research-based but instead on learning outcome;

(v) Progression in time during a sequence of study does not necessarily entail progression to a higher level of learning;

(vi) he nomenclature of qualifications should be consistent and provide an accurate representation of their nature; and

(vii) credit should be allocated on the basis of completed modules, not time served.

3. A HIGHER EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK FOR RWANDA

A framework suggests structural devices and linkages. A “qualifications framework” is a system of qualifications in which there is an understandable coherence and relationship between qualifications. It conveys the sense of level of achievement associated with a variety of qualifications and shows their position in relation to each other. Furthermore, it provides clear linkages and pathways between qualifications vertically or across the framework. It is to be noted that emphasis is on qualifications and not on the process of achieving them. This means that qualifications can be obtained through structured learning, on the job training, mixed mode learning, from any accredited institution.

Taking into account the current system of higher education in Rwanda, the anticipated developments and of international experience, it is proposed that the qualifications framework for higher education should comprise seven levels from Certificate to Doctorate. The descriptors for the seven levels giving the general outcomes as well as the skills and tasks and achievements of which learners should be able to demonstrate for the award of qualifications are given hereunder.

Level 1: The level at which Certificate is registered.

It enables learners to:

• Demonstrate a broad knowledge base incorporating some technical concepts
• Have command of analytical interpretation of information
• Express informed judgment
• Be able to display a range of known responses to familiar problems.

It enables learners to carry out processes that:

• Require a wide range of technical skills
• Are applied in a variety of familiar and non familiar contexts with the need for some or no supervision
• Demand occupational competence over a range of routine and non routine tasks
• Require the need for little or no supervision.

Level 2: The level at which Diploma and Advanced Certificate are registered.

It enables learners to:

• Demonstrate broad knowledge base with substantial depth in their area(s) of study
• Have command of analytical interpretation of a wide range of data
• Be able to determine appropriate methods and procedures to respond to a range of problems
• Communicate the results of their study/work accurately and reliably, and with structured and coherent arguments
• Display qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment in situations requiring the exercise of some personal responsibility.

It enables learners to carry out processes that:

• Require a wide-range of technical and/or management skills
• Involve a wide choice of standard and non standard procedures, often in non-standard combinations
• Are employed in highly variable routine and non-routine contexts.

Level 3: The level at which Advanced Diploma is registered.

It enables learners to:

• Demonstrate specialized knowledge with depth in their area(s) of study
• Have command of analysis, diagnosis, planning and evaluation across a broad range of technical and /or management functions
• Be able to formulate appropriate responses to resolve problems
• Communicate, in a variety of forms and with structured and coherent arguments, the results of their study/work accurately and reliably, and identify the broader principles, issues and impacts
• Display qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment in situations requiring the exercise of some personal responsibility and in contexts where they are contributing to decision-making processes.

It enables learners to carry out processes that:

• Require a command of wide ranging highly specialized technical and/or management, and/or conceptual or creative skills
• Involve a wide choice of standard and non standard procedures
• Are applied in highly variable and non routine contexts

Level 4: T he level at whichBachelors Degree without Honours, e.g. an Ordinary Degree is registered.

Learners who demonstrate:

• Knowledge and critical understanding of the well-established principles of their area(s) of study, including an understanding of some advanced aspect(s) of their area(s) of study.
• Ability to apply underlying concepts and principles outside the context in which they were first studied, including, where appropriate, the application of those principles in an employment context.
• Knowledge of the main methods of enquiry in their subject(s), and ability to evaluate critically the appropriateness of different approaches to solving problems in the field of study.
• An understanding of the limits of that knowledge, and how this influences analyses an interpretations based on that knowledge.

Learners should be able to:

• Use a range of established techniques to initiate and undertake critical analysis of information, and to propose solutions to problems arising from that analysis.
• Effectively communicate information, arguments, and analysis, in a variety of forms, to specialist and non-specialist audiences; and deploy key techniques of the discipline with confidence.
• Undertake further training, develop existing skills, and acquire new competencies that enable them to assume significant responsibility within organisations and will have:
• Qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring the exercise of personal responsibility and decision making in complex contexts.

Level 5: The level at which Bachelors degrees with honours, often referred to as ‘honours degrees’ are registered.

Learners who demonstrate:

• A systematic understanding of key aspects of their field of study, including acquisition of a coherent and detailed knowledge, at least some of which is at or informed by, the forefront of defined aspects of a discipline.
• An ability to deploy accurately established analytical techniques and enquiry within their discipline.
• An ability to devise and sustain arguments and/or to solve problems using ideas or techniques some of which will be at the forefront of a discipline and to describe and comment upon particular aspects of current research or equivalent advanced scholarship in the discipline.
• An appreciation of the uncertainty, ambiguity and limits of knowledge.
• The ability to manage their own learning, and to make use of scholarly reviews and primary sources (e.g. refereed research articles and/or original materials appropriate to the discipline).

Learners should be able to:

• Apply the methods, techniques and (where applicable) modes of practice that they have learned and review, consolidate, extend and apply their knowledge and understanding; and to initiate and carry out projects.
• Consider abstract data, concepts and/or raw materials and frame appropriate questions to achieve a solution - or identify a range of solutions - to a problem.
• Communicate information, ideas, problems, and solutions, in a variety of formats appropriate to both specialists and non-specialist audiences and will have:
• Qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment in situations requiring the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility for decision making in complex and unpredictable contexts, and the learning ability needed to undertake appropriate further training of a professional or equivalent nature.

Level 6: The level at which Masters degrees, e.g. MA, MSc, M.Phil are registered. Also at this level are advanced programmes, such as Postgraduate Certificates and Postgraduate Diplomas. However, differentiation between Masters Degrees and Postgraduate Certificates and Postgraduate Diplomas is made on the basis of the lesser number of credits obtained and no practical understanding of techniques of research for the latter qualifications.

Learners who demonstrate:

• A systematic understanding of knowledge and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights at the forefront of their academic discipline, field of study, or area of professional practice.
• A comprehensive understanding of relevant techniques applicable to their research or advanced scholarship.
• Originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in the discipline.
• Conceptual understanding that enables the student to evaluate critically current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline and to evaluate critically methodologies and where appropriate, to propose new hypotheses.

Learners should be able to:

• Deal with complex issues, both systematically and creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data, and communicate these conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
• Demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level.
• Continue to advance their knowledge and understanding, and to develop new skills to a high level.

and will have:

• The qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility, decision making in complex and unpredictable situations and the independent learning ability required for continuing professional development.

Level 7: The level at which doctorate (Ph.D) is registered

Qualifications are awarded to students who demonstrate:

• The creation and interpretation of new knowledge, through original research or other advanced scholarship, of a quality to satisfy peer review, extend the forefront of the discipline, and merit publication.
• A systematic acquisition and understanding of a substantial body of knowledge which is at the forefront of an academic discipline or area of professional practice.
• The ability to conceptualise, design and implement a project for the generation of new knowledge, applications or understanding at the forefront of the discipline, and to adjust the project design in the light of unforeseen problems.
• A detailed understanding of applicable techniques for research and advanced academic enquiry.

Learners will be able to:

• Make informed judgements on complex issues in specialist fields, often in the absence of complete data, and be able to communicate their ideas and conclusions clearly and effectively to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
• Continue to undertake pure and/or applied research and development at an advanced level, contributing substantially to the development of new techniques, ideas, or approaches.

and will have:

• The qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring the exercise of personal responsibility and largely autonomous initiative in complex and unpredictable situations, in professional or equivalent environments.

It is of utmost importance that the above higher educational qualifications framework be integrated in the school and the vocational education and training sector for developing a national qualifications framework of Rwanda.

Maintenance of the above higher educational qualifications framework is equally important especially given the fact that higher education systems are very dynamic and the introduction of new qualifications are bound to occur. With the approval of MINEDUC, NCHE should introduce new qualifications with clear level descriptors as and when the need arises.