General Education and Training Certificate for Adults

Purpose

The General Education and Training Certificate (GETCA) for Adults is suitable for adult learners, providing them with an opportunity to acquire the first, critical milestone in a general education. The GETCA aims to equip adult learners with a sufficiently substantial basis of knowledge, skills and values to enhance meaningful social, political and economic participation, to form a basis for continuing education and training and/or more specialists learning, and to enhance the likelihood of employment and/or career development. In these respects, the GETCA promotes the holistic development of adult learners. The intention is also that the quality of learning offered by the GETCA will reinvigorate an interest in learning for many who have had negative experiences in schools or were denied such opportunities in the past.

The GETCA aims to service an identifiable need for adults in the continuing education system not currently met by other qualifications on the NQF, and to create pathways to continuing education and training.

Rationale

The General Education and Training Certificate (GETCA) for Adults services an identifiable need for adult learners in the education system not currently met by other qualifications on the NQF. It is designed to provide opportunities for adults who have had limited or no access to other forms of formalised learning. The qualification is intended to engage adult learners in a way which will assist them to value their own learning. The qualification is a general education qualification which is not specific to a particular economic or social sector.

The GETCA forms the basis for the adult pathway in the GFETQSF. Its aim, through the introduction of subject/content-based curriculum documents, is to build a reliable general education underpinned by the necessary cognitive, affective and psychomotor proficiencies to enhance meaningful learning as expected of a NQF Level 1 qualification, and to support further study. The curriculum documents that underpin the GETCA therefore provide the basis to develop proficiencies for working with knowledge.

Achievement of the GETCA will indicate that the successful adult learner has studied for and achieved competence in a general educational qualification at Level 1 on the NQF, which is quality assured and certified by Umalusi Council.

The GETCA will be delivered in public and accredited private learning institutions.

Candidates are required to register for the examination of a subject with an examination centre that is registered through the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) or by an assessment body that is accredited by Umalusi.

The structure of the GETCA accommodates a variety of learning delivery options- face-to-face, distance as well as the possibility of private tuition and self-study, for example, through electronic technology-assisted teaching. Full- time and part-time study can be accommodated by the qualification structure and design.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

• Demonstrate competence in basic communication and numeracy skills at Adult Education and Training (AET) 3 or equivalent. Such competence will have to be proven through a readiness test/placement assessment for entry into study for the GETCA.
• Demonstrating competence in basic communication and numeracy skills at AET 3 through a recognition of prior learning process, subject to the enforcement of quality assurance measures by the relevant assessment body, and in compliance with the recognition of prior learning policy developed by Umalusi as contemplated in section 27 of the National Qualifications Framework Act (Act No. 67 of 2008).
• Learners with special education needs will be considered for registration in accordance with White Paper 6 on Special Needs Education: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System (2001).

Entry Requirements

• The GETCA is designed for adult learners not enrolled at a public or independent school, or learning through other modes of education (such as home education) that are referred to in the National Education Policy Act, 1996 (Act No. 27 of 1996) and the South African Schools Act, 1996 (Act No. 84 of 1996).
• Adult learners not wishing to enrol for a GETCA at a learning institution may study independently, and may then register at an examination centre, which is registered with the Department of Higher Education or an Umalusi- accredited assessment body, prior to the examination sitting.

An adult learner must do the following

• Enrol for a minimum of four (4) subjects.

Select at least one compulsory subject from (i) and the one compulsory subject from (ii)

(i). One Language, from Organising Field 4, Communication Studies and Language (30 Credits)

• Afrikaans.
• English.
• isiNdebele.
• isiXhosa.
• isiZulu.
• Sepedi.
• Sesotho.
• Setswana.
• Siswati.
• Tshivenda.
• Xitsonga.

(ii). Mathematics from Organising Field 10, Physical, Mathematical, Computer and Life Sciences (30 Credits)

Select at least two (2) subjects from the list of general education subjects and/or vocational subjects listed below (30 Credits per subject selected):

• General and Social Sciences.
• Applied Agriculture and Agricultural Sciences.
• Arts and Culture.
• Technology.
• Life and Learning Skills.
• Wholesale and Retail.
• Travel and Tourism.
• Information and Communication Technology.
• Early Childhood Development.
• Economic and Management Sciences.
• Introduction to Basic Engineering
• Ancillary Health Care
• Small, Medium, Micro Enterprises

An adult learner intending to study further must register for at least one language which is used as a language of learning and teaching (LOLT) at institutions of continuing/further education and training.

An adult learner may enrol for more than the required minimum of four (4) subjects but, may not select more than one language from each of the following language groups:

• Nguni languages (IsiNdebele, IsiXhosa, IsiZulu, Siswati).
• Sotho languages (Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana).

May not select more than two languages. If an adult learner registers for more than the required maximum of two languages, the credits from the additional language(s) will not be recognised for certification purposes, though it will be reflected as achieved on the GETCA certificate.

1. Identify and solve problems and make decisions using critical and creative thinking.
2. Demonstrate entrepreneurial capabilities and a basic understanding of the economic environment.
3. Use of engineering, science, and technology effectively and critically, showing responsibility towards the environment and the health of others.
4. Communicate effectively through the application of various core language skills.
5. Collect, recall, analyse, organise, and critically evaluate information.
6. Work effectively with others as members of a team and/or community while adopting and applying ethical values that foster empathy, fairness, and tolerance.
7. Organise and manage themselves and their activities responsibly and effectively.
8. Identify and develop personal values and ethics.

The capabilities expressed in the exit level outcomes for the qualification will be developed throughand duringthe achievement of the outcomes for the individual subjects which the adult learner studies. The breadth and depth of learning as well as the levels of cognitive demand associated with the exit level outcomes are explicated in greater detail in the individual subject curricula.

• The Critical Cross-field Outcomes and the Developmental Outcomes inform the learning presupposed by this qualification and are embodied in the curriculum outcomes for every subject offered in the GETCA. The Critical Cross-field Outcomes are captured in Annexure B.
• Awarding the GETCA confirms that a successful adult learner has been adjudged as competentthrough the assessment of the required combination of subjectsin the capabilities expressed in the exit level outcomes, and is consequently granted a general education qualification that is nationally recognized and internationally.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Recognise, interpret and solve problems within familiar, well-defined contexts through the application of subject-specific knowledge and skills.
• Apply basic scientific principles, as well as essential methods and procedures, to solve problems, including problems relating to numbers.
• Interpret and evaluate information accurately while using critical and creative thinking to make informed decisions.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Display basic listening and speaking skills.
• Demonstrate competency in the use of the various language structures and conventions.
• Demonstrate the ability to confidently read, write, and engage fluently.
• Write and present information using formats appropriate for diverse audiences.
• Demonstrate the ability to understand, evaluate and respond to information presented through texts, numbers, and/or graphic forms.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Apply general knowledge and understanding of the South African economy in both local and global contexts.
• Show interest in a positive contribution to the economy through partaking in income-generating work, including entrepreneurship.
• Apply basic entrepreneurial and economic literacy skills to practical business situations.
• Read and interpret financial information and current affairs to inform business decisions.
• Understand and demonstrate the value of service in all business operations.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Demonstrate competency in basic digital skills.
• Demonstrate the effective use of engineering, science, and technology, while also displaying responsibility towards the environment and the health of others.
• Display knowledge of various interrelated physical and non-physical technologies used to capture, process, manage and disseminate information.
• Identify and solve Information and Communication Technology problems using a range of appropriate tools and instruments, including modern technology.
• Use common tools and instruments effectively, in a well-defined task under direct supervision.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Demonstrate the understanding that knowledge and skills are developed over a period of time.
• Use a variety of learning resources and collect information from a variety of sources.
• organise and report information clearly and accurately.
• Engage interactions, processes, and theories occurring within the scientific, human, and physical phenomena.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6

• Demonstrate participatory and collaborative skills in diverse settings while showing evidence of respect for others and the ability to disagree in constructive ways.
• Demonstrate cultural sensitivity in various social and professional contexts, both locally and globally.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7

• Apply basic administrative skills such as accessing and using a range of learning resources and scheduling learning tasks.
• Demonstrate sufficient sense of self-empowerment that enables aspirational goal setting relating to personal growth and career development.
• Create awareness of and concern for the sustainable and fair use of resources.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 8

• Develop and demonstrate a set of personal and ethical values that foster empathy, fairness, and tolerance.
• Identify and respect ethics, and adopt societal values that apply to various environments.

Provision for clear guidance on assessment is in the Subject Assessment Guidelines developed for each subject in the qualification. The Subject Assessment Guidelines provide guidelines for the development and implementation of a comprehensive and logical assessment system for the various subjects in the GETCA.

Integrated Assessment

Assessment of learning for issuing the GETCA consists only of summative assessment in the form of a nationally-set external examination, quality assured by Umalusi.

Only the marks achieved in the nationally-set external examination, moderated and standardized by Umalusi, are considered for the award of the qualification.

The nationally-set external examination, as contemplated in paragraph(12) (1) and (2) is set and marked by an accredited assessment body and/or by the Department of Higher Education and Training, and is externally moderated by Umalusi.

The assessment should be accommodative of the various learning needs and learning styles of learners with special education needs.

The norms and standards to which all assessment bodies must give effect are stipulated in the policy document, National policy and regulations on the conduct, administration and management of the General Education and Training Certificate for Adults: A qualification at level 1 on the General and Further Education and Training Qualifications Sub-framework of the NQF (to be developed after the qualification has been registered). Assessment bodies are also required to adhere to the quality assurance directives issued by Umalusi in respect of this qualification.

Adult learners registering for a GETCA may register for one or more subjects per examination sitting.

The GETCA qualification can be completed within a minimum period of a single year. However, the GETCA must be completed within a maximum period of six (6) years from the date of initial registration. The duration of six years will be calculated from the time a student registers for the GETCA examinations for the first time. The six years does not include the time taken for an adult learner to complete AET 1 - 3.

For learners who have gained access to the qualification through concessions based on special needs, an additional two (2) years is granted to complete the qualification, meaning that these learners will have a maximum period of eight (8) years to complete the qualification.