The crucial role of the ETQAs in what is referred to as the ‘NQF organisation’ requires that the Authority develop a rigorous, effective approach to monitoring and auditing their quality assurance work. This function is referred to in the SAQA Act:
An organisation seeking accreditation as an Education and Training Quality Assurance Body shall accept in writing
(a) the right of the Authority to examine at any time the activities of an Education and Training Quality Assurance Body and review its quality management policies and procedures;
(b) the right of the Authority to provide guidance on issues relating to the activities of an Education and Training Quality Assurance Body; and (c) the right of members of the Education and Training Quality Assurance Body to approach the Authority directly on matters affecting the effectiveness of the Education and Training Quality Assurance Body; provided that reasonable steps to resolve such matters have been taken at the level of the Education and Training Quality Assurance Body.
It is the intention of the Authority that:
Accreditation of an ETQA, or the granting of an accreditation extension, should be seen as a two-way process between SAQA and the ETQA. The relationship should be seen as a mutually beneficial and reinforcing one, in which the interests of the learner and the users of learning outcomes are the principal focus for all concerned.
In the monitoring and auditing of ETQAs, a challenge will be to ensure that this mutually beneficial relationship is maintained for the ultimate benefit of learners. In the research which has been conducted prior to the production of these guidelines, together with the consultative seminar at which the content of the guidelines was discussed, the hope was expressed that a model for auditing and monitoring of ETQAs can be designed in which this relationship is not only maintained but enhanced.