The interconnectivity of Units in the Seychelles Qualifications Authority.
The Seychelles Qualifications Authority (SQA) currently has six technical units which work together to provide for the development, implementation and maintenance of a National Qualifications Framework and the quality assurance of education and training.
Although the six units have their own functions, they are inevitably interconnected and their synergy ensures that the SQA’s annual objectives are met.
Accreditation Unit (Schools) verifies whether the primary and secondary schools in Seychelles meet the criteria for performing schools, this gives an indication of whether their internal quality assurance system is effective. For the process of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), school leaving certificates may be used as portfolio evidence amongst other evidences of knowledge, skills, and competencies acquired.
The Standards Setting and Framework Development unit is responsible for setting qualification standards. Standards are a collection of knowledge, skills and attributes in which a learner must prove competence. They provide the basis for the design of assessments and are developed for education and training. The registered standards are used by the RPL Unit in assessing candidates’ knowledge, skills and competencies.
The standards are also used by the Programme Accreditation Unit in the development of programmes or courses in tertiary education and training.
A tertiary education and training provider is assessed on its internal quality assurance systems to ensure that they meet standards for educational quality set by the SQA. This process is the responsibility of the Institutional Accreditation Unit. The standards and criteria that are used for Institutional Accreditation include academic effectiveness, which is partly verified through the number of accredited programmes on offer.
Once programmes and institutions are accredited, the certificates they issue are recognised by the Seychelles Qualifications Authority and evaluated against the National Qualifications Framework and subsequently may be recognised internationally.
