NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORKS: SELF-CERTIFICATION AND BEYOND - CHALLENGES…

1. NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORKS: SELF-CERTIFICATION AND BEYOND - CHALLENGES… Stephen Adam, Council of Europe, Yerevan, October 2013

2. NQF: Ministers, designers and implementers face difficult decisions!

3. Beyond NQF self-certification: what does the future hold?

4. Successful implementation is more challenging and as important as developing the original NQF. It should be viewed as an ongoing process. Self-certification is not a straightforward process or a terminal event. Do not lose sight of the main goals of reform - qualifications, fit for 21st-century citizens. Develop multi-layered national strategies that embed the implementation of NQF with other essential reforms. The time it takes to implement the reforms associated with new style NQF have been severely underestimated – rushed reforms often fail and require later revision. Consider self-certification when developing and perfecting your NQF; record paper trails and generate evidence. Good self-certification reports need to include more information and analysis than the minimum required by the ‘criteria and procedures’. No two referencing reports or implementation strategies are the same! Remember…

5. “It must be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than to take the lead in the introduction of a new (education) system. For the initiator has the enmity of all who profit from the preservation of the old systems and lukewarm defenders in those who may gain by the new one.” The Prince, Chapter VI, published 1532