Diploma: Public Administration and Management

Purpose

The primary purpose of the qualification is for learners to demonstrate vocational knowledge, skills, applied competence and the necessary attitudes in the field of public administration and management to become lifelong learners, employable workers and contributors to public administration in various institutions. A second purpose of the qualification is for learners in public administration to widen the vocational leadership and managerial base of innovative and practice-based public administration and management.

Qualifying learners could follow a variety of careers within the Public Sector

• Financial Services.
• Administration.
• Management.
• Human Resources Management.
• Knowledge Management.

Rationale

The public officials in South Africa operate in a wide variety of roles within the Public Administration and Management structures. Often they work in diverse operating and service delivery circumstances.

The sustainability of South Africa's democratic process and developmental governance are strongly linked to capacity building within the three spheres of government, i.e. the national, provincial and local spheres of government. It is of great national importance that public officials receive a relevant and respected Public Administration and Management qualification that recognises the knowledge and skills which South Africa's public sector require. To fulfil their roles public sector officials need to have excellent awareness and understanding of the changing needs of today's public service delivery systems.

Upon completion of the Diploma: Public Administration and Management, the qualified student would have been actively engaged in becoming a well-rounded, educated person, specifically preparing for further, more specific study and/or the work environment as an employer/manager in an administrative section. He or she has a theoretical foundation that will guide him or her in the work environment to act as a functional level manager. As such he or she develops and holds certain values and integrates general administrative knowledge and skills, the function of management and the application of the theory of administration and management to achieve his or her goals.

• Students should have good reading and writing skills in English.
• Students should be able to analyse and respond to a variety of texts.
• Students should be able to learn independently in an Open and Distance Learning context (ODL) with minimum support.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Recognition of Prior Learning can be used to obtain admission to the qualification by those learners who do not meet the entry requirements and may be used to gain credits for up to 50% of the qualification. All applications of Recognition of Prior Learning must be in accordance with the principles laid down in the Unisa Recognition of Prior Learning Policy.

The Unisa Recognition of Prior Learning office can supply full details of processes relating to the assessment and accreditation of learning from prior experiences. Evidence can be presented in a variety of forms, including international or previous local qualifications, reports, testimonials mentioning functions performed, work records, portfolios, videos of practice and performance records.

All such evidence should be judged according to the general principle of assessment described in the notes to assessors. Unisa lecturers will act as assessors for Recognition of Prior Learning purposes.

Access to the Qualification

Access is open to learners who are in possession of a National Senior Certificate (NSC) with

• An achievement rating of 3 or better (an E symbol on Matric Certificates), in four recognised National Senior Certificate 20-credit subjects containing English, at either Home, or First Additional, or Second Additional Level selected as a recognised 20-credit subject for the National Senior Certificate.

Or

• An achievement rating of 3 (an E symbol on Matric Certificates) or better for English, at either Home, or First Additional or Second Additional Level selected as a recognised 20-credit subject for the National Senior Certificate.

Or

• An achievement rating of 3 (an E symbol on Matric Certificates) or better for Mathematics or an achievement rating of 5 or better for Mathematical Literacy as recognised 20-credit National Senior Certificate subjects.

Access is also open to learners with an appropriate Higher Certificate at NQF Level 5.

The qualification has a total of 360 credits.

All the modules are compulsory, and have 12 credits each.

NQF Level 5 modules

• Public Resource Management I.
• Public Information Services I.
• End-user computing.
• Public Service Delivery I.
• Public Decision-making I.
• Public Office Management I.
• Management IA.
• Self Management I.
• The nature, content and scope of public administration.
• Public Supply Chain Management.

NQF Level 6 modules

• Public Financial Management II.
• Public Financial Control II.
• Public Human Resource Management IIA.
• Public Human Resource Management IIB.
• Public Procurement and Logistics Management II.
• Public Information Practices II.
• Project Management IIA.
• Project Management IIB.
• Fundamentals of Public Administration Research II.
• The structuring and functioning of public services.
• Policy Studies III.
• Public Management Practice III.
• Intersectoral Collaboration III.

NQF Level 7 modules

• Public Financial and Procurement Management IIIA.
• Public Financial and Procurement Management IIIB.
• Public Human Resource Management III.
• Management of Information III.
• Management of Information Systems III.
• Approaches to Programme Management III.
• Aspects of Programme Management III.

• Demonstrate a practical and functional understanding of the public administration world of work.
• Use a range of specialised skills to identify, analyse and address functional and/or real-life problems in the workplace, drawing systematically on own knowledge of ethical standards, theory, research methods, techniques and technologies.
• Manage and self-assess learning tasks autonomously, professionally, responsibly and ethically with due consideration of their continued professional growth and development.

Critical Cross-Field Outcomes

All the Critical Cross-Field Outcomes are addressed in this qualification.

The following Associated Assessment Criteria are used in an integrated manner to assess the Exit Level Outcomes

• Standard procedures, processes or techniques to theoretically deal with or empirically investigate functional or real-life world problems in a particular area of study are appropriately applied.
• The analyses and interpretation of theoretical data and practical information are independently conducted.
• Practical and functional insight by means of well-rounded, theory-driven and evidence-based arguments and self-reflection is demonstrated.
• Judgements and conclusions, based on information and data, are clearly communicated to specialist and non-specialist audiences using the resources of an academic/functional discourse appropriately, reliably and accurately.
• Self-assessment reflects an awareness of taking responsibility for own activities, ethical behaviour and continued professional development in the field of public administration.
• Insights and ideas reflect an acceptable social sensitivity in the student's relationship and interaction with others and work in the public administration work environment.
• Ethical decisions which affect functional public sector work environment issues are made with social sensitivity and awareness of consequences in an autonomous manner.

Integrated Assessment

All assessment will integrate knowledge, skills and attitudes and applied competence.

Formative assessment

Learning and assessment are integrated. The study guides contain self-assessment tasks with feedback. The scheme of work includes a combination of written and multiple choice assignments based on the learning material which students have to submit and for which they earn a semester mark. Students are given feedback in the form of written comments in the assignments and suggested solutions and mark plans presented in a formal tutorial letter. The process is continuous and focuses on smaller sections of the work and a limited number of outcomes.

Assignment marks contribute 10% towards the student's final mark.

Summative assessment

Examinations of a representative selection of outcomes practiced and assessed in the formative stage. Summative assessment also tests the student's ability to manage and integrate a large body of knowledge to achieve the stated outcomes of a module:

• One two-hour examination per module per semester.
• Unless otherwise stated, a subminimum of 40% must be obtained in the examination.
• The mark obtained in the examination contributes 90% to the student's final mark.

Supplementary examinations are available for students who obtained at least 45% as a final examination mark.