DHET (Department of Higher Education and Training)

• To provide leadership in the construction of a South African education and training system for the 21st century.Making our provincial system work by making co-operative government work.
• Breaking the back of illiteracy among adults and youths in five years.
• Developing schools as centres of community life.
• Ending conditions of physical degradation in South African schools.
• Developing the professional quality of our teaching force.
• Ensuring the success of active learning through outcomes-based education.
• Creating a vibrant further education and training system to equip youth and adults to meet the social and economic needs of the 21st century.
• Building a rational, seamless higher education system that grasps the intellectual and professional challenges facing South Africans in the 21st century.

Dealing urgently and purposefully with the HIV/AIDS emergency in and through the education and training system.

National Skills Authority

The National Skills Authority (NSA) was established in terms of section 4 of the Skills Development Act, 1998.

The functions of the NSA are to:

• advise the Minister on a national skills development policy, a national skills development strategy, guidelines on the implementation of the National Skills Development Strategy, the allocation of subsidies from the National Skills Fund, and any regulations to be made
• liaise with Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) on the national skills development policy and the National Skills Development Strategy
• report to the Minister in the prescribed manner on the progress made in the implementation of the National Skills Development Strategy
• conduct investigations on any matter arising out of the application of the Act
• Exercise any other powers and perform any other duties conferred or imposed on the NSA by the Act.

SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority)

SAQA is a statutory body whose mission is to ensure the development and implementation of a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) which contributes to the full development of each learner and to the social and economic development of the nation at large.

SAQA's role is to:

• advance the objectives of the NQF
• oversee the further development and implementation of the NQF and
• co-ordinate the sub-frameworks.

CHE (Council on Higher Education)

The South African Council on Higher Education (CHE) is an independent statutory body responsible for advising the Minister of Higher Education and Training on all matters related to higher education policy issues, and for quality assurance in higher education and training.

Umalusi

Umalusi is a statutory organisation which sets and monitors standards for general and further education and training in South Africa with the purpose of continually enhancing the quality of education and training.

Umalusi has five key functions:

• Evaluating qualifications and curricula to ensure that they are of the expected standard.
• Moderating assessment to ensure that it is fair, valid and reliable.
• Conducting research to ensure educational quality.
• Accrediting educational and assessment providers.
• Certifying learner attainments.

The Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO)

The QCTO is a statutory body responsible for advising the Minister of Higher Education and Training (DHET) on all matters of policy concerning occupational standards and qualifications.

The QCTO is responsible for:

• establishing and maintaining occupational standards and qualifications;
• the quality assurance of occupational standards and qualifications and learning in and for the workplace;
• designing and developing occupational standards and qualifications and submitting them to the South African Qualifications Authority for registration on the National Qualifications Framework; and
• ensuring the quality of occupational standards and qualifications and learning in and for the workplace.

SETAs

SETAs are sector education and training bodies established in terms of the Skills Development Act.

SETAs are responsible for the organisation of education and training programmes within their sectors. See Employer Engagement and Occupational Standards.