Higher Education Act, 1997 (Act No. 101 of 1997)

The NC (V) Level 4 is registered as a 130-credit qualification on the NQF. It comprises two components, namely: a fundamental learning component and a vocational component.

The fundamental learning component is essential for the qualification and forms the basis for all other learning at that level. It comprises the following three (3) subjects, selected from Group A of Appendix 1. Together these subjects contribute 50 credits to the qualification:

The vocational component defines the qualification as being of a specific type. It involves learning experiences in situations contextually relevant to the particular vocational field and it also provides for the attainment of specific learning required for depth and specialisation within a particular programme. The vocational component will therefore indicate specialisation on a programme. A credit value of at least 80 credits at the level of certification must be obtained in the vocational component, comprising four (4) subjects of 20 credits each, selected from the approved subjects listed in the policy document, Formal Further Education and Training College Programmes at Levels 2 to 4 of the National Qualifications Framework.

Qualifications in higher education are designed to have high social and economic value to the country. They also represent significant learning achievement. However, qualifications are not alike. They make different intellectual demands and reflect different intellectual achievements on an increasing scale of difficulty, and this is reflected in the different requirements for admission to the Higher Certificate, the Diploma and the Bachelor's Degree, in terms of the National Senior Certificate and the National Certificate (Vocational) Level 4.

The minimum admission requirements for the Bachelor's Degree are therefore particularly distinctive. They balance a number of important considerations. The bar is set high enough to reflect fairly the cognitive demands that are made on degree students but not to undermine the important objectives of equity and wider access. Higher education institutions admit applicants who are likely to succeed in degree studies, given good teaching, good facilities and appropriate academic and other support, so the admission requirements must as far as possible predict student success in the programmes for which they are enrolled. In turn, this means that the NCV Level 4 curriculum, followed by aspiring degree candidates, must equip them to meet the demands of degree studies.

The NC (V) Level 4 has to cater for those students who aspire to degree studies as well as those who will enter vocational higher or further education programmes or the world of work. Some subjects are designed to serve all those purposes and others are designed especially for students who aspire to enter vocational preparation or employment.

For these reasons, students who aspire to degree study are expected to perform satisfactorily in our vocational subjects chosen from the list of recognised NCV Level 4 subjects (Appendix A). The list comprises NCV Level 4 subjects that, when chosen as part of a complete National Certificate Vocational) Level 4 programme, are expected to prepare students well for the demands of Higher Certificate, Diploma or first time Bachelor's degree studies.

The subject list will remain in place for three years from the commencement of the policy, at the end of which period, the Higher Education Quality Committee of the Council on Higher Education, in collaboration with the Department of Education and HESA will undertake an evaluation of its suitability and influence. The matter will then be reviewed in the light of the prevailing evidence.

All NC (V) Level 4 subjects have value in their own right. Many different combinations of designated and other recognised NC (V) Level 4 subjects will suit candidates for the varieties of Higher Certificate, Diploma and Bachelor's Degree programmes. A heavy onus rests on the higher education community to decide what those subject combinations are in respect of particular programmes and make them widely known so that provincial departments of education, parents, college principals and career guidance lecturers are in a position to give the best possible advice to students who aspire to enter higher education.