Higher Certificate in Local Governance

Purpose

The Higher Certificate in Local Governance aims to equip learners with both theoretical pieces of knowledge, applied competence and professional skills in the field of study to meaningfully:

• Act as representatives of the community they serve.
• Fulfil political and administrative roles in a local government council and other division.

The qualification will enhance the skills needed for reasoning, data mining and processing, interpretation, demonstrating leadership, self-reflection, adaptability and developing competence and integrity. It will also provide the basis for synthesising information autonomously to create analytically relevant capabilities that will benefit administrators; councillors elected to local government; officials or other employees/persons involved in local government affairs who aim to gain an entry-level managerial position in the field of Local Governance.

Rationale

The rationale for the qualification is to give learners who are unable to attend contact sessions an opportunity to increase their skills levels in the workplace. The content scope provides a learning opportunity for local governance and management related institutions to develop knowledge and skills through an industry-relevant qualification.

The qualification will prepare learners as well as employees (i.e. those learners already employed in public sector institutions), through the discipline-specific nature of the qualification to meet the national, provincial, local and continental labour market, knowledge and other socio-cultural needs in this scarce-skill governmental environment.

Based on the popularity and the demands to skill individuals in the local government sector in terms of a professional educational pathway, this qualification is in line with the overall learning pathways that the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) and the National School of Government (NSG) is seeking to create for its learners, both employed and unemployed. The learning pathway indicates a variety of learning opportunities for any learner embarking on a qualification within the local government context and this particular qualification initiates an opportunity for councillors as well as officials in an administrative capacity to be more intricately exposed to the local government workings. Learners can pursue a learning pathway in local government operational functional areas. The learning pathways provide varied opportunities for a learner wishing to embark on a career within local government and are also complementary to other qualifications within the public sector.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) will be applied following the institution's RPL Policy. Learners who do not satisfy the formal admission requirements, but who can demonstrate comparable previous learning, may be granted admission upon application to the Institution. RPL assessments and the process for administering such are outlined in the Institution's policies dealing with Learner Admissions, Assessment and RPL. Learners with relevant experience in a local government environment who qualify for a RPL will be considered on merit for admission in terms of the RPL policy.

The RPL Policy and guidelines maps the process for an RPL learner. The assessor or Academic Head must be satisfied that the learner is sufficiently experienced to qualify for RPL assessment. The RPL process is monitored and governed by the RPL Committee, which is a sub-committee of the Academic Board. This Committee is mandated to ensure that there are effective mechanisms and procedures in place to deal with RPL fairly and effectively and for assessing current competence.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• National Senior Certificate (NSC), NQF Level 4 granting access to Higher Certificate studies.

Or

• Senior Certificate, NQF Level 4.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at National Qualifications Framework Level 5 totalling 120 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, 120 Credits

• Academic Literacy, 10 Credits.
• Local Governance in Context, 20 Credits.
• Municipal Service Delivery, 15 Credits.
• Local Democracy and Urban Planning, 15 Credits.
• Good Corporate and Financial Governance, 15 Credits.
• Trends in Urban Governance, 15 Credits.
• Local Government Policy Making and Analysis, 15 Credits.
• Leadership and Local Governance, 15 Credits.

1. Demonstrate knowledge and skills to function optimally at the entry-level of the higher education learning context.
2. Explain the principles of local governance with specific reference to the developmental mandate, statutory obligations, structures, and systems of municipalities.
3. Demonstrate knowledge and insight of objectives, approaches, types of stakeholders, and mechanisms to continuously improve service delivery within a local government context.
4. Develop an integrated knowledge of community participation mechanisms and priorities in urban planning.
5. Interpret the principles of strategic budgeting and financial corporate governance within a local government context.
6. Critically evaluate the potential consequences and impact of various key trends in urban governance.
7. Apply theories and techniques to participate in local government policy making and analysis.
8. Demonstrate an integrated knowledge of local government leadership issues and good governance within the context of African and Ubuntu- leadership.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Demonstrate an understanding of learning in higher education in the South African context.
• Participate effectively in an online learning environment.
• Apply various strategies and techniques for studying.
• Demonstrate the principles of logic and critical thinking in problem-solving.
• Apply reading skills in an academic context to support learning.
• Acquire writing skills for an academic context.
• Understand good referencing practices.
• Develop effective assessment and examination skills.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Demonstrate an understanding of the statutory, regulatory and policy framework that informs local government in South Africa.
• Discuss the interaction between national, provincial and local government in general and co-operative governance.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Discuss the service delivery objectives, approaches, types of stakeholders involved, and mechanisms for effective service delivery in a local government sector environment.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the statutory framework, ethics and the accountability mechanisms for improved service delivery.
• Design a service delivery programme for a project.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Demonstrate knowledge of local government development projects processes and the Integrated Development (IDP) phases.
• Identify the reasons for political, administrative and managerial roles when implementing local government development programmes.
• Identify the procedures for effectively chairing relevant councils, committees, sub-committees and working groups to achieve objectives of developmental local government programmes.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Explain the principles of good corporate governance and implementing sound financial policies for the financial administration of a municipality.
• Demonstrate the impact of quarterly reports on the monitoring of budgetary processes.
• Explain auditing, accounting functions and the supply chain procedures for municipalities.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6

• Discuss the various key trends in urban governance.
• Demonstrate the effect of strategies for sustainable urban development on environment concerns.
• Identify the global, national and regional urban challenges.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7

• Explain where the various role players and interest groups fit in to the local government policy agenda-setting process.
• Evaluate a local government policy by using a variety of implementation strategies for key issues.
• Design an assessment tool for the process of local government policy evaluation.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 8

• Explain where the various role players and interest groups fit in to the local government policy agenda-setting process.
• Evaluate a local government policy by using a variety of implementation strategies for key issues.
• Design an assessment tool for the process of local government policy evaluation.

Integrated Assessment

The qualification contains multiple opportunities for continuous assessment. Assessment of competence is administered through a combination of formative and summative assessment methodologies, tools and procedures. Appropriate and timeous feedback on assessments effectively promotes learner learning, effective decision-making and forms the basis toward achieving learning outcomes.

When required and dependent on the outcomes associated with a particular module(s), learners are expected to develop a comprehensive portfolio which contains sufficient evidence of integrated learning which has taken place in a relevant module e.g. skills, knowledge and attitudes acquired throughout the learning process that demonstrates applied competence.