Why a Technical Note on linkages and complementarities between ARC, NQF and the ACQF?

The ACQF Technical Note 3 is published!

The recognition of qualifications and credentials between and among countries has for a long time been considered as one of the major factors to increase collaboration among education systems and institutions and support the creation of academic and labour mobility programmes. Thus, regional conventions of mutual recognition of qualifications such as the Addis Recognition Convention (ARC) are crucial since they provide the legal instruments needed to support recognition of qualifications and credentials.

It is important to note that whilst each African Member State may have its own policies, guidelines and procedures for recognition of qualifications and credentials stemming from the existence of National Qualifications Frameworks (NQFs), these can be facilitated more effectively by the development of regionally harmonised and eventually standardised policies, guidelines and procedures regarding recognition of qualifications and credentials.

Further, the need for a Regional Qualifications Framework (RQF) is amplified in the Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community relating to Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Right of Establishment, adopted by the 30th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly, which specifies in its Article 18 on Mutual Recognition of Qualifications, that “The States Parties shall establish a continental qualifications framework to encourage and promote the free movement of persons”. The interdependence and complementary nature of the ARC, NQFs and RQFs was one of the driving force behind the development of the African Continental Qualifications Framework (ACQF).

Thus, the Technical Note aims to illustrate how the ARC, NQFs and the ACQF can work in cooperation and complementarity on the African continent with a view to:

1. Contributing to comparability, quality and transparency of qualifications and credentials on the continent;
2. Facilitating recognition of different types of qualifications and credentials thereby supporting mobility of learners, workers and services; and
3. Promoting cooperation and referencing between qualifications frameworks (national and regional) in Africa.

The recognition progress at a glance

Recognition of qualifications and credentials is a formal acknowledgement by a competent recognition authority regarding the validity and academic level of a foreign education qualification, credentials, partial studies or prior learning/ acquired experience. Recognition of qualifications aims to provide an applicant with outcomes, including, but not limited to, the right to apply for admission to further education or training and the possibility to seek employment opportunities (ACQF, 2022a).

The process for recognition of qualifications and credentials involves a number of steps aimed at establishing the authenticity and comparability of qualifications or credentials. The following approach is based on common features of policies and practices used in the recognition process:

• Establishing the legal status of the awarding body:

In some jurisdictions, awarding bodies draw their mandate to award qualifications and credentials from statutes establishing them, while in others, the authority is conferred upon the awarding bodies through charters, decrees or accreditation by quality assurance bodies. Whichever the case, awarding bodies must have the legal mandate to award qualifications and credentials.

• Establishing the authenticity of the qualification:

At this stage, confirmation is sought from the awarding body to affirm the awarding of the qualification or credential. However, the confirmation can also be obtained through private third party credential evaluators or foreign missions. During this process, it is also essential to establish whether or not the qualification or credential holder was enrolled by the awarding body and whether the duration and other requirements for award of the qualification or credential were met.

• Assessing the comparability of qualification:

Assessment of the comparability of qualifications or credentials, also known as evaluation of qualifications or credentials, is carried out by making a comparison of the national level descriptors or specific programme learning outcomes from the source country to the national level descriptors of the receiving country. In addition to the process described above, comparison of the duration and entry requirements for a qualification or credential from the source country against that from the receiving country should be undertaken.

Some key lessons from the Lisbon and Tokyo Conventions

The Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region, also known as the Lisbon Recognition Convention (LRC), aims to ensure that holders of a qualification from a signatory country can have adequate access to an assessment of the qualification in another country in a fair, flexible, and transparent way. Similarly, the Asia-Pacific Regional Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education, also referred to as Tokyo Convention, was adopted in November 2011 in Tokyo, Japan. It is the second generation of the Asia-Pacific Convention and a replacement to the Bangkok Convention which was adopted in 1983 in Bangkok, Thailand.

The following are some of the key lessons from the two Conventions:

1. It is important to note that the Recognition Conventions require information transparency on qualifications and credentials from different countries. Information transparency with regard to quality assurance and qualifications frameworks is critical. This allows learning outcomes to be compared for a substantial difference check that can lead to a recognition decision.
2. Qualifications frameworks should be used to make it easier for competent recognition authorities to assess foreign qualifications and credentials. Qualifications frameworks should be used while considering the five key elements in recognition: level, learning outcomes, quality, workload and profile.
3. Diploma supplements are a critical tool in the recognition of qualifications and credentials in Europe. It would be worthwhile implementing them on the African continent.
4. Recognition of refugees’ qualifications and micro-credentials should form part and parcel of recognition procedures and processes.
5. Bilateral agreements are a sure way of promoting automatic recognition of qualifications and credentials among countries and regions – quality assured once, recognised everywhere.
6. Digitisation of recognition processes is aiding the effective and efficient recognition of qualifications and credentials.

Challenges to recognition of qualifications and credentials in Africa

Research and peer learning/ sharing have shown that there exist a number of challenges that humper the smooth and efficient recognition of qualifications and credentials in most countries on the African continent. These include, but not limited to, the following:

1. Absence of NQFs or well elaborated National Qualifications Systems (NQSs) in some jurisdictions.
2. Inadequate, and in some cases, lack of reliable and consistent information on education systems, qualifications and credentials/ learning programmes, institutions (regulatory and awarding) - including quality assurance mechanisms.
3. Differences in structures, content and duration of qualifications and credentials.
4. Delays in receiving confirmations to verification requests.
5. Diploma and accreditation mills remain real threats to the credibility of qualifications and credentials in Africa.
6. Absence of a fully functioning continental network to champion the sharing of information for recognition purposes.
7. Limited capacities of credential/ qualification and credential verifiers/ evaluators.
8. Lack of clear guidelines and procedures to inform the qualifications and credentials recognition processes.
9. Slow efforts towards ratification and domestication of the Addis Recognition Convention, Global Recognition Convention (GRC) and referencing to Regional Qualifications Frameworks.

Some solutions to address the challenges

In order to promote effective, efficient, transparent and fair recognition of qualifications and credentials in Africa, the following interventions should be considered at both continental and country levels:

1. Intensifying efforts towards the ratification and domestication of the ARC and GRC by all African Member States.
2. Establishment of Competent Recognition Authorities and National Implementation Structures across the continent.
3. Operationalisation of the African Network of National Implementation Structures.
4. Development and implementation of NQFs – leveraging on the ACQF and other initiatives.
5. Referencing of NQFs and RQFs to ACQF – no need to linger.
6. Use of NQF, RQF and ACQF levels on qualification and credential documents.
7. Introduction of qualification and credential supplements to easy the recognition process.
8. Intensify collective efforts towards the recognition of qualifications and credentials for refugees and displaced persons.
9. Automatic recognition – need to set the ball rolling.
10. Take more pragmatic steps towards the recognition of micro-credentials in Africa – need to build on past discussions and engagements.

Key sources and literature

2019. B. Pedersen. 2019. Recognition going global. European University Association, Brussels. https://eua.eu/resources/expert-voices/135:recognition-going-global.html.

ACQF. 2022a. ACQF Guideline 4: Validation and Recognition of Learning. Authors: M. Chiyaba, M. Hamalabbi, F. Cheelo, J. Mwewa. https://acqf.africa/resources/policy-guidelines/acqf-guidelines/acqf-guideline-3-validation-of-learning/acqf-guideline-4-validation-and-recognition-of-learning-english/@@display-file/file/Guideline%204_Validation%20and%20Recognition%20of%20Learning_20May2022_FINAL_WEB.pdf.

ACQF. 2022b. ACQF Guideline 10: Qualifications and National Qualifications Frameworks - Systemic View. Author: A. Bateman. https://acqf.africa/resources/policy-guidelines/acqf-guidelines/acqf-guideline-10-qualifications-and-national-qualifications-frameworks-systemic-view-1/acqf-guideline-10-qualifications-and-national-qualifications-frameworks-systemic-view-english/@@display-file/file/Guideline%2010_NQF%20Systemic%20view_06062022_FINAL_WEB.pdf.

ILO. 2017. HOW TO FACILITATE THE RECOGNITION OF SKILLS OF MIGRANT WORKERS: GUIDE FOR EMPLOYMENT SERVICES PROVIDERS. http://oit.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_emp/---ifp_skills/documents/publication/wcms_572672.pdf.

Laws.Africa - Legislation Commons. 2003. General Convention A/C.1/1/03 on the Recognition and Equivalence of Degrees, Diplomas, Certificates and Other Qualifications in ECOWAS Member States. https://commons.laws.africa/akn/aa-ecowas/act/convention/2003/1-1/eng@2003-01-31.pdf.

NIC-Japan. 2023. UNESCO's Conventions on the Recognition of Qualifications Concerning Higher Education. https://www.nicjp.niad.ac.jp/en/site/unesco-conventions.html.

NUFFIC. 2012. European Area of Recognition Manual, Practical guidelines for fair recognition of qualifications. http://www.eurorecognition.eu/manual/ear_manual.

NUFFIC. The European Recognition Manual for Higher Education Institutions. 2016. Practical guidelines for credential evaluators and admissions officers to provide fair and flexible recognition of foreign degrees and studies abroad, second edition. http://eurorecognition.eu/Manual/EAR%20HEI.pdf.

SADCQVN - TCCA. SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY QUALIFICATIONS RECOGNITION MANUAL - SADC-QR MANUAL: GUIDELINES FOR RECOGNITION OF QUALIFICATIONS. https://www.sadc.int/sites/default/files/2022-07/SADC_Qualifications_Reognition_Manual_Final.pdf.

UNESCO. 1997. Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000111238.page=2.

UNESCO. 2011. Asia-Pacific Regional Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000217670/PDF/217670eng.pdf.multi.page=31.

UNESCO. 2014. Revised Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Certificates, Diplomas, Degrees and Other Academic Qualifications in Higher Education in African States. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000372988/PDF/372988qaa.pdf.multi.

UNESCO. 2019. Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373602/PDF/373602eng.pdf.multi.page=3.

UNESCO. 2020. A practical guide to recognition: Implementing the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications Concerning Higher Education. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000374905.

UNESCO. 2022. Evolution of the Tokyo Convention – Lessons and Insights. https://bangkok.unesco.org/content/evolution-tokyo-convention-lessons-and-insights.

UNESCO. 2022. Network launched for the recognition of higher education qualifications in Africa. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/network-launched-recognition-higher-education-qualifications-africa.

UNESCO. 2023. Higher education regional conventions. https://www.unesco.org/en/higher-education/conventions.

UNESCO. About the ENIC-NARIC Networks. https://www.enic-naric.net/page-about-ENIC-NARIC-Networks.

UNESCO. Asia-Pacific Network of National Information Centres (APNNIC). https://apnnic.net/.